ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said he’s picking up the pace of vaccinations in the state and deploying National Guard Emergency Vaccination Teams.
The accelerated vaccine schedule starts Wednesday. Hogan said, ““While the initial distribution of vaccines does offer a glimmer of hope, we still have a long way to go in this fight Distributing and administering vaccines throughout 2021 will be without question the greatest peacetime undertaking in American history, and will be a massive, all-hands-on-deck, ongoing operation between the federal, state, and local governments and the private sector.”
The 14-member vaccination teams will assist local health departments in administering vaccines.
Additionally, Hogan said the state has 700 qualified volunteers from the Maryland Responds Medical Reserve Corps ready to assist local health officials.
To date, Maryland has deployed 98% of the 270,150 doses of COVID-19 vaccines allocated by the government.
Hogan said that any that healthcare facilities that have not administered 75% of their total first dose allocation could see their future allocations reduced.
The state is currently in Stage 1A of its vaccine plan. That includes all licensed, registered, and certified healthcare providers. Local health departments have begun to make arrangements with providers to get them vaccinated in the coming days and weeks. Vaccinations will also soon be underway for correctional officers, law enforcement agencies, and front line judiciary staff.