Ripken Stadium To Serve As COVID-19 Mass Vaccination Site

ABERDEEN, MD — A new mass vaccination site will open in Harford County at Ripken Stadium.

The site will open the week of April 19, according to Gov. Larry Hogan.

County Executive Barry Glassman, Harford County Health Officer Dr. David Bishai and the County Council sent a letter to the state's health secretary in February requesting the designation of Ripken Stadium as a mass vaccination site.

“I would like to thank Gov. Hogan for honoring our request for a mass vaccination site at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen," Glassman said in a statement Thursday afternoon. "With its access to major transportation routes, this site will help us in the race to get vaccines to everyone in Harford County and the region."

Last month, the governor announced that a Harford County mass vaccination site would open by the end of April. However, he did not name a location at that time.

Hogan said that Ripken Stadium site would open the week of April 19 as a mass vaccination site, speaking during a news conference Thursday afternoon where he announced preregistration for mass vaccination sites was now open to everyone age 16 and up in Maryland.

>> Preregister here for the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination site in Maryland. The link goes to https://onestop.md.gov/govax, Maryland's mass vaccination preregistration system. <<

Confirmation of the mass vaccination site in Aberdeen comes the day after Glassman issued a robocall to Harford County residents alerting them of the rise in coronavirus cases locally.

Harford County has the highest coronavirus positivity rate in the state as of Thursday, April 1.

The positivity rate in Harford County is 9.52 percent, the Maryland Department of Health reported Thursday. The statewide positivity rate is 5.51 percent.

Harford's positivity rate is the highest it has been since November, county health officials said, urging residents to take precautions if celebrating Easter in person, such as staying outside rather than inside and wearing face coverings.

Positivity rates should be at or below 5 percent for two weeks for an area to relax restrictions, according to the World Health Organization.

Glassman, who has followed state guidance in removing capacity limits on retail establishments and other venues in mid-March, urged residents to take safety into their hands.

"Wear your mask. Keep your distance. Wash your hands," Glassman said. "And get a vaccine when you can."

See Also:

• 2 Mobile Vaccination Units In MD To Serve Vulnerable Populations
• Harford's Coronavirus Positivity Rate Up, Mass Vax Site 'Soon'
  
• MD Expands Vaccine Preregistration to Residents 16 And Older
• County Executive Wants Mass Vaccination Site At Ripken Stadium
• Harford County To Open Mass Vaccination Site In April: Governor

These are the latest positivity rates from the Maryland Department of Health: