When will I get my coronavirus vaccine? What to know
Maryland is speeding up its vaccination timeline, following the lead of other states and recommendations from federal officials as the U.S. surge of deaths and hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 worsens.
Statewide implementation has been slower than expected, raising alarms among local leaders.
As of Thursday, 178,415 people had been vaccinated in the state, with about 15,840 people receiving their second dose. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who announced plans to accelerate vaccine doses into more arms at a Thursday news conference in Annapolis, said older adults all will be eligible to get their shots in two weeks.
Here’s what you need to know:
Are we still in Phase 1 of the vaccine rollout?
Yes, but it no longer has to be completely finished for the state to move on to other phases.
Phase 1A covers health care workers, nursing home residents and staff, first responders, and public safety and corrections officers.
On Monday, Maryland will move into Phase 1B, Hogan said Thursday, which will allow people 75 and older to get vaccinated along with high-risk inmates, teachers, people living in special needs group homes, assisted living residents, and people involved in “continuity of government.”
The last part of Phase 1 will commence on Jan. 25, for people 65-74 get vaccinated along with essential workers in lab services, agriculture, manufacturing, grocery stores, public transit and the postal service.
A limited number of pharmacies in Giant, Martin’s and Walmart stores will start offering the vaccine on Jan. 25 as part of a pilot program. More pharmacies are expected to come online as the vaccine supply expands.
“We want to stress to all the vaccination providers that as part of our, what we call a Southwest Airlines distribution model, they do not need to finish all of the people in one group before moving on to the next one. Our primary goal is for them to get more shots into the arms of more people in our vulnerable populations as quickly as they can,” Hogan said Thursday.
Maryland’s expedited timeline Maryland follows other states’ plans and recommendations from federal officials to get every available shot deployed as the U.S. surge of deaths and hospitalizations associated with COVID-19 worsens. Previously, states were holding back on administering a portion of vaccines so they could save them for second doses.
When will I get vaccinated if I don’t fall into those categories in Phase 1?
It’s unclear.
As of now, Phase 2 will include people 16-64 with increased health risks, prisoners and essential workers in fields such as utilities and transportation, but there is no timeline for when the state might begin the phase. A total of 1.1 million Marylanders are in this group.
Hogan said about 30% of the state will be vaccinated by May, but younger and healthier people could wait until the summer or after.
Maryland residents who think they are eligible can now enter their information into covidvax. maryland.gov to find vaccination clinics in their area.
How much of the vaccine has already been distributed?
Some 564,625 vaccines have been distributed to Maryland health officials and providers, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, about 32% have been administered.
There are a number of reasons why the rollout has been slower than expected, with money, manpower, planning hurdles and vaccine hesitancy bearing part of the blame.
Nationally, about 36% of doses have been administered, according to the CDC. At one point, Maryland ranked at the bottom of states in a Bloomberg survey of the rollout. It has since regained some ground.
Hogan also said there is a lag in reporting data on the use of available doses has have given an inaccurate picture of the state’s status and made it hard to identify problem areas.
Does Gov. Hogan have a plan to speed up the vaccination process?
Hogan issued an executive order requiring all vaccine providers to report data on the state’s site, ImmuNet, within 24 hours.
Also, he said hospitals that haven’t used 75% of their vaccine allocations may get fewer doses in the future unless they can prove they can distribute them efficiently.
“Either use the doses that have been allocated, or they will be allocated to another provider,” he said.
In addition, Maryland National Guard members will be activated to help county health departments with vaccination administration.
Hogan said he pressed the leaders of the pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens, which are handling nursing home vaccinations in Maryland as part of a contract with the federal government, about the pace of their vaccinations and reporting.
The governor said he had “productive” conversations Tuesday with CVS CEO Larry Merlo and Walgreens President John Standley. Hogan also said he contacted U.S. Health and Human
Services Secretary Alex Azar on Tuesday “to express our serious concerns about the pace of the federal nursing home/pharmacy program.”
How will I know when it’s my turn?
Marylanders can sign up for 211 text alerts. To opt in to receive these alerts, text ‘MdReady’ to 898-211. People can also visit the state’s coronavirus site to review more information.
People who think they are eligible can also visit the state’s new website and find the vaccine clinic nearest to them.
To sign up, you’ll have to verify your information with the clinic, though it’s not immediately clear how rigorous that vetting process will be.