Vaccine Outreach Completes 1st Phase, Makes 1.2M Contact Attempts

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Prince George's finished its first wave of coronavirus vaccine outreach, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced last Thursday. The effort, called the Countywide Vaccine Distribution and Education Initiative, targets communities with low immunization rates.

Workers have made more than 1.2 million contact attempts since the initiative started on April 22. Staffers have also knocked on 95,000 doors so far. Canvassers have:

• Helped more than 3,000 residents schedule an inoculation appointment
• Secured 6,886 commitments to get vaccinated
• Provided 7,565 families with information on COVID-19 resources like food, rental and employment assistance

"Making sure our residents are protected from this virus is a critical part of our County’s pandemic recovery," Alsobrooks said in a press release. "I’m grateful to our canvassers who have done this important work to help make our residents safer and our County’s future brighter than ever."

Alsobrooks identified towns in need based on their socio-economic statuses, vaccination rates and population. Employees will knock on 266,352 doors spread between:

• Bladensburg
• Temple Hills
• Capitol Heights
• Hyattsville
• Oxon Hill
• College Park
• District Heights
• Riverdale
• Suitland
• Langley Park
• Mount Rainier

Staffers will also make 1.3 million calls and send 500,000 text messages during the campaign. Phase two will continue this remote and in-person outreach.

The county executive encouraged residents to answer the phone or door for these canvassers. She explained that they will always wear masks and maintain physical distancing. The helpers will don yellow safety vests and ID badges reading "Prince George's COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Team."

Locals can schedule an immunization at mypgc.us/COVIDvaccine and covidvax.maryland.gov. Residents may also call 311 and press # to book their shot. Prince Georgians can additionally dial the library hotline or use the new vaccine locator to find an available inoculation.

Coronavirus Vaccine Resources

Anybody 12 or older can now get the coronavirus vaccine at providers across the state. Check out our how-to guide to learn how to sign up for the shot.

Catch up on the infection and inoculation metrics in Prince George's County with our most recent numbers update. Head to Patch's immunization page to keep up with Maryland's latest vaccine news.

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• Vaccine Outreach Targets Towns With Low Immunization Rates

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.