Officials say they will get a quick turnaround.
Baltimore, Md (KM) Marylanders are being strongly urged to pre-register for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Tara Hargadon, the Director of Stakeholder Engagement for the Maryland Department of Health COVID Task Force, is also in charge of the state’s call center, where residents call and pre-register for appointments to receive the coronavirus shots at the mass vaccination centers around the state. She says using the call center is the best way to make sure you get vaccinated, noting that those who sign up ahead of time for a mass vaccination center near them are usually contacted within five to seven days and offered appointment times.
“We’re asking all Marylanders ages 16 and older to please go and pre-register now to insure that we get shots in the arms efficiently as possible,” Hargadon says.
They can register by going on line to covidvax.maryland.gov, or call 1-855-634-6829.
A mass vaccination center is expected to open next week at Frederick Community College.
On Monday, Governor Larry Hogan announced that the vaccine is available for all Marylanders age 16 and up at the mass vaccination center starting on Tuesday morning. By Monday, April 12rh, he says all providers will be required to administer the vaccine to those 16 and up.
For several weeks, the vaccine supplies around the state were limited. Maryland officials said the state was receiving small amounts of vaccines from the federal government, but there were a large number of people who expressed an interest in getting the COVID shots.
“We’ve seen a gradual uptick in the amount of vaccine the state is receiving, and we’re hoping the federal government will be sending more our way as soon as possible,” Hargadon says.
She also says the call center has been very busy since it began operations on February 15th. “And now that we have pre-registration on for the long haul, we are very busy doing outbound campaigns as well as taking inbound calls to constituents and helping them pre-register,” Hargadon says.
The call center is open seven days a week from 7:00 AM until 10:00 PM.
By Kevin McManus