Anne Arundel Won't Yet Offer Shots To 65+ Despite State Progress

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Maryland moved into phase 1C of coronavirus vaccination on Monday, but Anne Arundel County isn't ready to make the jump. The county will remain in stage 1B for the near future.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health has repeatedly noted that it's still focused on getting shots to medical frontliners and older residents. There's still a long way to go on the immunization of residents age 75 and up, who fall into phase 1B.

The county has about 40,000 locals who are part of that age bracket. Health officials said they had vaccinated fewer than 1,000 by Jan. 15. The Department of Health has not yet responded to Patch's request for an updated figure.

Residents age 70 and up account for about 5.1 percent of Anne Arundel's total inoculations, the data show. So far, most shots have gone to younger health care workers and first responders.

"With high case rates, hospitalizations and deaths impacting our county, we need to provide more vaccines to save lives," Anne Arundel County Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said in the Jan. 15 press release. "Our oldest residents are at the highest risk."

It will take some time to fully service these priority groups, however, as the Department of Health gets about 5,000 doses each week. At that rate, it may take weeks to get immunizations to every older resident.

The Department of Health website estimates that it could reach stage 1C during March. Patch asked whether this timeframe was still accurate, but we have not yet heard back.

"Our health department and our fire department worked through their exhaustion to get first responders and health care workers vaccinated," Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman said in the release announcing the move to phase 1B. "But all of us were frustrated that our vulnerable seniors were having to wait. Now we can save their lives. Let’s do this."

Phase 1A

The vaccine rollout has five phases: 1A, 1B, 1C, 2 and 3. The following residents were part of stage 1A. Though Maryland has already opened the door to more locals, these people can still get the inoculation:

• Health care workers
• Public health employees
• Residents and staff of nursing homes
• First responders
• Judiciary employees
• Corrections staffers

Phase 1B

The state entered phase 1B of vaccination on Jan. 18. That enabled these Marylanders to get the inoculation:

• Anybody age 75 and older
• Residents of congregate living facilities
• School staff
• Those needed for continuity of government
• Child-care providers

Phase 1C

When the county reaches stage 1C, residents age 65 to 74 will be first in line. Frontline workers in these industries will also be eligible, though employees in the previous groups will still take priority:

• Food and Agriculture
• U.S. Postal Service
• Manufacturing
• Groceries
• Public Transit

"The Anne Arundel County Department of Health is NOT in Phase 1C," the agency said Monday on its website. "The Department is providing vaccine appointments ONLY to the Phase 1A group and Phase 1B's county residents who are age 75+."

For more information on Anne Arundel County's plan, click here.

To see when you'll be eligible for the inoculation, read Patch's explainer. Check out our how-to guide to learn how to sign up for the shot. Catch up on the latest coronavirus infection and vaccination metrics in Anne Arundel County by heading to our latest numbers update.

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Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.