MD COVID Mass Vaccination Site Pre-Registration System Launches

MARYLAND — The state has launched a platform for Maryland residents to pre-register to receive a COVID-19 vaccine at one of the state mass vaccination sites.

Gov. Larry Hogan's office made the announcement Saturday. Once pre-registered, Marylanders will be notified once an appointment is available, and will be able to verify their pre-registration status and reserve an appointment.

Marylanders in Phase 1 eligible populations may pre-register online at covidvax.maryland.gov or by phone through the state’s COVID-19 vaccination support center at 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829).

Pre-registration is currently open for Phase 1 eligible populations. Announcements will be made when pre-registration opens to additional groups.

The process should work this way.

• Maryland residents pre-register online or via a call center
• Mass vaccination sites release more appointments as they receive more doses of vaccines
• Residents are notified to start their scheduling process and should be able to schedule a vaccination appointment within minutes.

Residents eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations at this time include those 65 and older, health-care professionals, nursing home residents and staff, first responders, teachers and others.

Watch a walkthrough of the pre-registration process. Read the pre-registration guide.

Hogan on Saturday said the state reported a one-day record of 56,320 COVID-19 vaccines administered. In total, Maryland providers have administered 1.84 million vaccines, and are averaging 42,376 shots per day.

Required Information for Pre-Registration. During the pre-registration process, constituents will be asked for certain personal information and go through a simple health screening.

Information that must be supplied includes a resident's full name, date of birth, race, gender, ethnicity, and contact information. Participants will be asked to select up to two preferred mass vaccination sites.

• Pre-registration is not first-come, first-serve. To help ensure vaccine equity, appointments will be released based on eligibility and supply.
• Pre-registration eligibility will expand in the coming weeks. An announcement will be made when pre-registration opens for Phase 2.
• Pre-registration does not prevent anyone from getting their vaccine elsewhere. When constituents are contacted for an appointment, they will be able to indicate whether they already have received the vaccine, or are scheduled to receive one.

"From mass vaccination sites to equity clinics, we have already built the infrastructure to do 100,000 shots a day as soon as the federal government can get us that level of supply,” Hogan said in a statement. “I want to thank all of the vaccinators on the front lines who are working around the clock to get shots into arms.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 20.6 percent of Marylanders have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 11.7 percent have been fully vaccinated. In addition:

• Maryland ranks 13th in the nation for long-term care facility doses administered.
• Maryland ranks 17th in the nation for proportion of population fully vaccinated.
• Maryland ranks 17th in the nation for the daily vaccination rate.
• Maryland ranks 19th in the nation for total doses administered.

Maryland is above the national average for individuals receiving at least one dose, proportion of fully vaccinated population, and overall supply used.

COVID-19 intensive care unit levels in the state have dropped below 200 for the first time since Nov. 12. Overall, COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state have fallen by more than 60 percent since peaking close to 2,000 in January, down to 765 (570 acute, 195 ICU). Since the third wave peak, the state's positivity rate has dropped by 61.7 percent and the case rate has dropped by 74.3 percent.

Restrictions on indoor and outdoor dining, bars, gyms, casinos, and large venues like Camden Yards, were relaxed on Friday by Hogan. The statewide mandate for face masks, however, still remains.

Coronavirus changes that into effect March 12 include:

• Lifting capacity limits on outdoor and indoor dining
  • Restaurants and bars will still have limited seating and distanced service
• Lifting capacity limits on other businesses and establishments
  • Includes retail businesses, religious facilities, fitness centers, casinos, personal services, and indoor recreational establishments (i.e., bowling alleys, skating rinks)
• Raising the capacity limit to 50 percent at larger outdoor and indoor venues
  • Includes concert and wedding venues, theaters, racing facilities, and other outdoor entertainment and sporting facilities (i.e., Camden Yards ballpark, Pimlico racetrack)
• Reopening medical adult day-care centers
  • Facilities will be able to set restrictions and safety measures

The state of emergency is still in effect for Maryland. And residents are still required to wear masks in public outdoor spaces, public indoor facilities — including retail establishments, fitness centers, grocery stores, and pharmacies — as well as private businesses.

Baltimore City will not align with the governor's executive order to lift capacity limits on restaurants, retailers and religious organizations. City officials will reevaluate its guidance during the week of March 22.

Jurisdictions that have reopened at a slower rate than the rest of Maryland include Montgomery and Prince George's counties. Restaurants in both counties can serve customers inside at 25 percent capacity.