Hogan visits Annapolis mass vaccination site
Governor urges hesitant Republicans to get the shot
Gov. Larry Hogan urged Marylanders, including members of his party, to get their coronavirus vaccine during his visit to the Navy-Marine Corp Memorial Stadium mass vaccination site Friday.
The site opened for a second day Friday, providing 500 vaccines to state residents and workers. Maryland has vaccinated more than 50% of adults, Hogan said, and 80% of those age 65 and older. But there will come a point soon where demand lags behind supply.
One of the most hesitant groups in Anne Arundel County as well as nationally are members of the governor’s own party, particularly those who voted for former President Donald Trump.
A March poll of Anne Arundel residents out of the county community college found that 19% of Republicans would likely decline the vaccine and 30% of Trump voters would refuse.
“You hear a lot of people about, ‘Just get rid of the masks, just open everything 100%, why can’t we go back to normal?’” Hogan said. “Well, we’re not going to be able to do that unless they will get a vaccine. So some of those same folks that won’t get the vaccine that are perpetuating the problem, and we have to keep trying to convince everybody.”
The state now has 3,000 vaccination locations, including the stadium site, but Maryland’s vaccine supply is down, due first to production issues and then Federal guidance surrounding the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine.
The state initially targeted Memorial Day as a deadline to vaccinate all eligible adults. With supply down about 100,000 doses a week, the goal may be unrealistic, Hogan said.
The state has the capacity to do 120,000 vaccinations a day, but not
“You hear a lot of people about, ‘Just get rid of the masks, just open everything 100%, why can’t we go back to normal?’ Well, we’re not going to be able to do that unless they will get a vaccine.”
enough vaccines to reach that potential. But eligible groups, such as the elderly, have plateaued around 80%.
“In a few weeks or by next month we really could be at the point where there’s not a lot of pushing them out, it’s like pulling people in,” Hogan said.
Both Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, who in past months sparred with Hogan over pandemic policy and vaccination rollout, toured with Hogan in a display of “tri-partisanship,” Buckley said.
The state and county governments are hosting smaller, targeted clinics in churches, apartment complexes and community centers to reach residents who might not have signed up on their own.
But there’s more work to be done to reach the people who have refused to take the vaccine for political reasons.
The Annapolis site will take appointments and a walk-ups, but Hogan warned the vaccines available for walk-up appointments are limited.
“That’s an option if somebody just can’t make an appointment, once they show up, but it’s hit or miss,” he said.
— Gov. Larry Hogan
“You can’t just have, you know, 10,000 people walk up and expect, without an appointment, they’re all going to get a shot.”
Them ass vaccination site at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium is accepting appointments. Walk-ups will not be accepted for the first week. To schedule an appointment, go to https://onestop.md.gov/preregistration. Residentscancall(410)222-0225or(410)222-0047 to schedule a free ride to a vaccination appointmentin the county or at the Navy stadium mass vaccination site. Operators will answer from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Residents can also use the Gold College Parkway bus route to reach the mass vaccination site for free. Residents age 55 and older or residents 18 and older with a disability can call (410) 222-4222 to schedule a ride to a vaccine appointment. Rides are $5.