Multiple Vaccine Clinics Canceled; Anne Arundel Points To Delays

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County canceled multiple coronavirus vaccination clinics. Health officials announced the changes in a Monday evening press release.

All county-operated, second-dose clinics scheduled for Tuesday are scratched. Wednesday morning sessions are also postponed. First-dose appointments will continue as planned.

These changes only affect sites ran by the Anne Arundel County Department of Health. Immunization efforts organized by hospitals and private providers will still go on.

Are Vaccines Delayed?

The county explained that the cancellations stemmed from Maryland's slow vaccine delivery. The state has delayed about 7,000 doses over the past two weeks, the write-up noted. The health department expects a shipment in the next few days.

"We don’t know why the Governor’s staff cut this week’s vaccine allocations for Anne Arundel," County Executive Steuart Pittman tweeted when the health department first saw reductions two weeks ago. "I can assure you that we are doing everything we can to encourage the state to provide us with more doses."

Anne Arundel County is the last stop in the chain of inoculation supply. The federal government first orders the injections from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Next, the feds send a batch of shots to every state each week based on its population. The states then divvy up their vaccines between counties on a per-capita basis.

The Maryland Department of Health confirmed that the Anne Arundel County Department of Health has gotten fewer doses in recent weeks. The Anne Arundel Medical Center, on the other hand, has collected more immunizations. While the Anne Arundel County Department of Health has faced cuts, the county as a whole has actually secured more inoculations.

The state cares most about how many total shots a county has. Local health departments are only one piece of its puzzle.

"We are focused on the county (geographically) receiving its proportionate population share of vaccine," Maryland Department of Health spokesperson Charlie Gischlar told Patch in a Jan. 27 email.

What Are The Next Steps?

Anne Arundel health officials still anticipated more doses in this allocation, so they filled more vaccine slots than they had available. Workers will notify everybody affected by phone and email.

Staffers will offer makeup appointments for Saturday. Anybody who can't make this time will get a reservation for a future clinic.

Both authorized vaccines require two doses. Pfizer-BioNTech recommends spacing the shots by 21 days. Moderna suggests a 28-day gap.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises sticking to these timelines as closely as possible. When it's not feasible, the CDC says it's okay to get the second immunization up to 42 days after the first.

"As we move forward, I will continue to seek collaboration and advance planning with Maryland Department of Health and Governor Hogan," Pittman added on Jan. 25. "I will also engage with our United States Senators and Representatives to facilitate better planning and more doses from the federal government."

Where Can I Learn More?

For more information, residents can reach the Anne Arundel County Department of Health at (410) 222-7256 or covid19info@aacounty.org.

To see when you'll be eligible for the coronavirus 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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