MARYLAND, USA — All Marylanders ages 16 and older will be eligible to receive a COVID vaccine at any of the state's mass vaccination sites starting Tuesday, Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday. Then on April 12, residents age 16 and older will be eligible for a vaccine from all providers.
So far, Maryland residents ages 16 and 17 can only get the Pfizer vaccine -- as that is the only COVID-19 vaccine currently approved by the FDA for individuals 16 and older.
Hogan said during his weekly COVID update that state officials been able to speed up the eligibility process due to the increased supply of vaccines, but emphasized that just because people are now eligible, not everyone will be able to get a vaccine right away.
“I want to stress that even though we’re opening up eligibility for everyone, that does not mean, everyone will be able to immediately get an appointment," Hogan said. "But with the supply of doses, increasing over the next month or so a vaccine should be available for everyone who wants one."
As of Monday, over 76% of Marylanders 65+ have been vaccinated. Hogan said more than half a million people have pre-registered for the vaccine.
Additionally, the governor encouraged individuals across the state to still get an appointment at a mass vaccination site -- with the goal in mind to eventually be able to shut down these mass vaccination sites once a majority of the state is vaccinated.
"We want to run as many people through there as we possibly can, thousands of them a day because time is not our friend in this battle,” Hogan said.
Last week, Gov. Hogan and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks announced that FEMA has agreed to open a community vaccination center in Prince George’s County beginning April 7.
The new Federal Pilot Community Vaccination Center (CVC) will be located at the Greenbelt Metro Station and will open on Wednesday -- with its daily schedule to be announced at a later date.
As more vaccine doses become available, the officials said the center’s capacity is expected to be up to 3,000 shots per day. This is the first federally-operated site in Maryland that will utilize direct vaccine allocations from the federal government.
“We are grateful to the White House, FEMA, and all of our federal partners for working with us to expand our vaccination campaign in Prince George’s County and across the state,” Hogan said during a news conference on March 30. “By the end of April, we will have more than 12 mass vaccination sites across Maryland as part of a rapidly expanding vaccine distribution network."
FEMA will have socially distanced staff on-site to ensure prompt service is available to all and that proper COVID-19 protocols are adhered to. State officials said translation services will be available for people whose primary language is not English and interpretation services for those who are deaf or have hearing loss.
Maryland has opened six mass vaccination sites to serve eligible residents, with six more set to open throughout the month of April. Marylanders interested in receiving a vaccination at any state-run mass vaccination site should visit covidlink.maryland.gov or call 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829).