Vaccines are now available to all Marylanders 16 and older
Annapolis, MD (KB) The COVID-19 vaccine is now available to all Marylanders 16 and older.
Dr. Ted Delbridge, Executive Director of Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems (MIEMSS), addressed questions related to the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.
“’Can I get COVID-19 from the vaccine?’ No. None of the current vaccine uses the virus or any part of it in a way that could potentially give someone COVID-19 through vaccination,” he explained.
Dr. Delbridge said others wonder if the vaccine even works. He said the vaccine is 94 to 95% effective at reducing the risk of serious illness from the virus.
“COVID-19 is a serious illness, as we’ve learned,” stated Dr. Delbridge. “More than 8,300 Marylanders have died from COVID-19. More than 418,000 people have been infected. More than 37,000 Marylanders have been admitted to a hospital. Many people have lasting effects and do not recover completely, if ever, for months.”
Some are fortunate and do not get serious symptoms from the virus, but those people could still be carriers. That’s according to Dr. Delbridge.
“The people closest to you, the ones you love and your friends, may not be so lucky when you pass the virus along to them,” he said.
Dr. Delbridge continued:
“And every time the virus moves from one person to another, it is its chance to become a better virus. To be stronger, to make people more ill, and to resist or avoid the treatments that currently exist.”
Dr. Delbridge said every person vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus is a success.