New MD Daily Vaccine Record, 60K COVID-19 Shots On Average

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Efforts to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine distribution have set another single-day record and continued to boost the numbers of Marylanders immunized, Gov. Larry Hogan's administration said Saturday.

The state now exceeds an average of 60,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered daily. A news release from Hogan's office said Maryland state is reporting 78,756 new vaccinations — a record one-day high — and a total of 2,915,522 to date.

According to Centers for Disease Control data, 41.6 percent of Marylanders age 18 and older — and 76.2 percent of Marylanders 65 and older—have now received a vaccine. Maryland is getting shots into arms at a faster rate than 35 other states.

All Marylanders age 16 and older can now pre-register for an appointment at a mass vaccination site by visiting covidvax.maryland.gov or calling 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829). During pre-registration, Marylanders can choose their top two preferred sites.

On Tuesday the state moved into Phase 2B of its vaccination plan, which expanded eligibility to residents age 16 and up with disabilities and underlying medical conditions that increase the risk for severe COVID-19 illness.

Other groups eligible to receive a vaccine under Phase 2B include people age 60 and older, nursing home staff and residents, frontline health care workers, and those with certain health conditions.

"In preparation for that, effective (Thursday), we are immediately opening pre-registration to Phase 3," Hogan said. "Every single Marylander who wants a COVID-19 vaccine can now pre-register for an appointment at a mass vaccination site."

While pre-registration is now open to all Marylanders, individuals who are eligible under Phase 1 and Phase 2 but have not yet been vaccinated will continue to be prioritized for appointments.

Vaccine Equity Boosts Numbers

The Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force, led by Maryland National Guard Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead, is working with the state’s 24 local health departments to focus COVID-19 vaccination efforts on underserved, vulnerable, and hard-to-reach populations to ensure the equitable delivery of vaccines.

A news release Saturday said the effort have significantly increased the number of residents in Wicomico, Somerset, Baltimore and Montgomery counties, as well as the city of Baltimore.

See Also: MD Expands Vaccine Preregistration To Residents 16 And Older

The state has directed all local health officers to submit their equity plans by next week.

"In February, we asked each county to appoint a liaison to our Vaccine Equity Task Force (and) we asked them to produce their own equity plans for their individual jurisdictions. Unfortunately, many local governments still have not done so," Hogan said. "So the Maryland Department of Health is now requiring county health officers to immediately submit their finalized equity plans no later than Monday, April 5."

The governor said the health department will also be providing each jurisdiction with a list of underserved zip codes and a list of specific congregate facilities where they should concentrate their vaccination efforts.

Learn more about the task force here.

Mass Vaccination Sites

On Thursday, Hogan announced all the locations for the mass vaccination sites that are opening in April. They are located at:

• Maryland State Fairgrounds (Baltimore County)
• Greenbelt Metro Station (Prince George's County)*
• Montgomery College, Germantown (Montgomery County)
• Frederick Community College (Frederick County)
• Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Anne Arundel County)
• Ripken Stadium (Harford County)
• The Mall in Columbia (Howard County)

* This is a FEMA-operated site that will primarily serve Prince George's County residents.
Maryland currently has five active mass vaccination clinics. They are located at:

• The Baltimore Convention Center
• Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium
• Upper Marlboro's Six Flags America
• Waldorf's Regency Furniture Stadium
• Salisbury's Wicomico Youth & Civic Center
• Former Wolf Furniture store in the Hagerstown Premium Outlets

Walk-Up Appointments Offered In Salisbury

Starting Friday, the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center's mass vaccination site in Salisbury will open a no-appointment walk-up line for all eligible Marylanders.

Hogan says other state mass vaccination sites will adopt this system in the coming weeks.

Pre-register by visiting covidvax.maryland.gov or by calling 1-855-MD-GOVAX.

Plans To Reopen Senior Centers In Coming Weeks

The governor announced that the state's health and aging departments will work with local jurisdictions to develop plans that would allow all senior centers to reopen by the end of April, with public health protocols in place.

Vaccination clinics will be held at the facilities ahead of reopenings, he said.

Vaccines Now Available At Giant Pharmacies

Giant Food said Wednesday it is offering the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible residents at all 152 in-store pharmacy locations. This includes stores in Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Delaware.

First dose appointments can be scheduled at giantfood.com/covid-info. If no appointments are available, check back at a later time.

Giant pharmacies are using Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, dependent on the pharmacy location. If a person is receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, pharmacy staff will schedule second dose appointments at the time of the first dose.

COVID-19 vaccinations are free, but residents should bring their heath insurance card and driver's license to the appointment.

In addition to vaccinations in stores, Giant is hosting some off-site clinics to ensure equitable distribution of the vaccine.

Maryland COVID Numbers Take A Turn

Maryland's coronavirus cases are back on the rise. The state just contained its post-holiday infection surge. Cases plummeted until mid-March, but the numbers are now rising.

On April 2 the state confirmed 1,457 new COVID-19 cases, according to state health department data. The seven-day daily average of new cases stands at 1,292.

Overall, the state has confirmed a total of 415,660 coronavirus cases, and 8,157 deaths, an increase of 23 deaths in the past day, the Maryland Department of Health said Saturday.

The statewide positivity rate is now 5.82 percent, an increase of .22 percent in the last 24 hours. On March 1, it was 3.37 percent.

A total of 1,064 COVID patients are currently in Maryland hospitals.

On Thursday Hogan said the rise can be attributed to variant strains of the coronavirus that are hitting Maryland. He noted that B.1.1.7 is one of his biggest concerns.

"We're doing sequencing testing for variants at one of the highest levels in the country," Hogan said. "This has enabled us to identify 677 cases of COVID-19 variants in Maryland — 86 percent of which are the B.1.1.7 or U.K. variant."

The state has also detected at least six other variants, including the New York, California, South Africa, and both the B1 and B2 Brazilian strains.

Last month, Hogan lifted restrictions on indoor and outdoor dining, bars, gyms, casinos, and large venues like Camden Yards.

Support For COVID-19 Sufferers

The Maryland Department of Health on Wednesday relaunched its CovidCONNECT website, offering support to residents who have firsthand experience with COVID-19. Users will find guidance and support from peers who share similar experiences and access resources to promote physical, emotional and mental health.

Learn more at covidconnect.health.maryland.gov.

The relaunched site includes new features like CovidCONNECTIONS — stories from Marylanders who have personally felt the affect of the virus. The site will soon feature COVID stories from all 24 Maryland jurisdictions and will also increase its mental health support offerings, including a regular webinar series on coping with the pandemic.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines in Maryland, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.

For the most recent Maryland COVID-19 vaccine data, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov.