HOWARD COUNTY, Md. — A mass COVID vaccination site at the Mall in Columbia in Howard County is opening this week.
According to Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, both county and state officials identified the Mall in Columbia as the location that provided the best opportunity for an efficient, high-volume operation with highway and transit accessibility and available parking for residents to be able to get their vaccine.
"The opportunity to host a mass vaccination site in Howard County provides a significant benefit to the residents of Howard County, with additional vaccine allocations that will be easily accessible to our community,” Ball said. "We’re grateful to the Governor and his team for working closely with us to identify the best location and finalize the logistics to stand up this site..."
Early estimates indicate that the Mall at Columbia may have the capacity to administer as many as 2,000-3,000 doses per day, as supply allows.
The state and the county are continuing to work collaboratively on the logistics of opening a mass vaccination site at the Mall in Columbia -- including the best approach to operational responsibilities, Ball said.
"It is encouraging that the vaccination options for County residents are expanding," Dr. Maura Rossman, Howard County Health Officer, said. "We know that many community members face barriers to receiving [the] vaccine and believe that this mass vaccination site placed strategically in Howard County will improve the accessibility of this life-saving vaccine for many of our most vulnerable residents."
Just last week, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced the launch of the "No Arm Left Behind" campaign Wednesday to encourage Marylanders to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
Hogan said during his weekly COVID vaccine briefing that the state is launching new initiatives to get vaccines to every Marylander who wants to receive a vaccine.
“Next to getting vaccinated, the most important thing you can do is to encourage all of your neighbors, coworkers, friends and family to get vaccinated as well," Hogan said.
The new campaign will also partner with major employers such as Southwest Airlines, Exelon, Comcast, Amazon, and others. The state will also be conducting vaccine clinics for essential workers at manufacturers and will conduct outreach programs for agricultural workers.
Additionally, the campaign will also partner with the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) to conduct campus outreach and help reserve appointments for college students at the state’s 12+ mass vaccination sites.
News of Maryland's new vaccination initiative comes as the state surpassed a milestone of administering more than 4 million COVID-19 vaccines. The state has vaccinated more than 82% of all Marylanders over the age of 65 and over 55% of all Marylanders who are 18 and older, Hogan said.
The state's 12th mass vaccination site opened last Thursday at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen.
The governor emphasized that the best way to be guaranteed a vaccine through the state-run sites is to pre-register and secure an appointment online or call 855-MD-GOVAX.