It’s open to all residents 18 and older.
Frederick, Md (KM) Residents do not need an appointment to get a OCVID-19 shot at 13 mass vaccination centers in Maryland, including the one in Frederick County. Rissah Watkins, a spokeswoman for the County Health Department, says the former UnitedHealthCare building at 800 Oak Street in Frederick will accept those 18 and older who are looking for their first dose of the COVID-19 shot.
“If you are over 18 and still need your first dose, we’ve got Moderna available. You can go to our website and schedule a clinic, and you might have a little quicker visit that way,” she says. “But anyone is welcome to walk into that location for first dose clinics.”
The website to set up an appointment is covidvax.maryland.gov. Citizens can also call 1855-MD-GOVOX (1-855-634-6893). This toll free line is open from 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM each day. Watkins says Frederick County residents can call the local call center at 301-600-7900. For Spanish speakers the number is 301-600-7905.
Watkins says walk-ins are convenient, but making an appointment might be preferable. “If you’re choosing to walk up–we know that might be more convenient for some people, and we want to make that available–you might have a little bit of a wait,” she says. “But the clinics have been going pretty quickly so far even as we are incorporating walk-ins so I wouldn’t expect too much of a wait, though. Please come on down.”
Watkins says the center at Oak Street is administering first doses, and is the only one in the county offering walk-in service. The clinics at the Scott Key Center and the Frederick Community College Athletic Center are administering second doses, and they require an appointment.
The County has a sufficient supply of vaccines. “This has been a rapidly evolving situation,” says Watkins. “One of those things that has been changing quickly these days is vaccine availability. So we do have a lot of vaccine available. At the Health Department, we only have Moderna.”
“If you’re looking for Pfizer or the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, a lot of the pharmacies in our area have it. So it is widely available, and anyone whose interested should be able to get a vaccine,” she continues.
The Oak Street vaccination center is scheduled to be open on Friday from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. But Watkins says regular hours are expected to be implemented some time next week.
By Kevin McManus