ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Anyone in Maryland who is 16-years-old or older can now pre-register for a COVID-19 appointment at any mass vaccination site, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced at a news conference Thursday.
Hogan added he will likely give further updates about vaccine eligibility phases in the next few days.
This announcement comes just one day after the state entered Phase 2B of its COVID-19 vaccine plan and opened a mass vaccination site in Montgomery County.
“As a result of the robust infrastructure that we have built, our rapidly accelerating vaccination rate, and finally that critical increase in vaccine supply, we will likely be able to make announcements in the days ahead regarding further acceleration of vaccine eligibility phases,” Hogan said during his weekly COVID update Thursday.
Under Phase 2B, people 16 or older with underlying medical conditions or disabilities can book an appointment. Individuals who became eligible in earlier phases but have not yet booked an appointment are still being prioritized.
COVID-19 variants continue to represent the largest threat to the state's pandemic recovery. Maryland has identified 677 cases of COVID-19 variants, Hogan said, 86% of which are the more contagious variant first identified in the United Kingdom.
The governor also announced that the Vaccine Equity Task Force has completed nearly 100 missions to make vaccines more accessible to rural and hard-hit areas of the state.