March 19, 2021
Dear Neighbor,
We finally have a timeline! Every adult in Maryland will be eligible for the vaccine on April 27th.
From now until then, Maryland will be prioritizing getting vaccines to the most vulnerable. Please do not jump the line. We still have significant numbers of seniors and legitimate essential workers who have not been able to get an appointment.
Appointments will open on March 23 to people 60 to 64. People 16- 60 with health conditions that make them more likely to have serious COVID will also be a priority starting March 30. The state announced today that they will follow the CDC recommendations on eligible conditions. That list can be found here.
Detailed State TImeline
(This timeline is required for State Mass Vaccination sites and Pharmacies, but not County Health Departments or Hospitals.)
March 19 (1A, 1B, 1C,)
Now open to anyone 65+
Now open to essential workers in education, healthcare, etc.
Pre-registration for appointments starting next week is OPEN NOW for people 60-64
Pre-register here or call 1-800-634-6829
March 23 (2A)
People between 60-64 - Pre-registration open now
Pre-register here or call 1-800-634-6829
March 30 (2B)
People 16 and older with disabilities in the following categories:
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients.
- Maryland Medicaid Employed Individuals with Disabilities (EID) individuals
- Maryland Medicaid Rare and Expensive Case Management (REM) recipients
- Marylanders receiving Temporary Disability Assistance Program (TDAP) benefits
- Marylanders receiving long-term services and supports through the state's Medicaid waiver and state plan services.
**Pre-registration will open soon
April 13 (2C)
People aged 55-59
Essential workers in construction, food service, utilities, transportation, financial services, IT, and infrastructure
**Pre-registration will open sometime in April
April 27 (3)
All Marylanders age 16 and over
State guidance requires vaccination sites to continue prioritizing individuals eligible in Phase 1 even after subsequent phases open.
Making Real Progress!
We’re really moving now! At 12%, Maryland ranks 24th of the 50 states in terms of percentage of the population fully vaccinated. Montgomery County is slightly above the state average at 12.5%. In fact, 23.2% of County residents have received at least one dose. These positive trends should continue as long as the federal supply continues to increase as promised.
Montgomery County Health Department Allocation
The state announced today that Montgomery County's allocation of doses from the state will increase to 8000 doses. This is a significant increase from the 6600 last week and 4500 a few weeks ago. The increased minimum commitment of 8,000 doses a week has been projected for the next four weeks. This gives our Health Department, by far, the largest allocation of any jurisdiction in Maryland.
Montgomery County Mass Vaccination Site in Germantown
Holy Cross has partnered with Montgomery County Government, the State, FEMA, and Montgomery County to develop a high-capacity site at the Germantown Campus. This site will be capable of vaccinating 3,000 people a day. This location will be run differently from the other state-run mass vaccination sites, with the County taking a leading role. Governor Hogan clarified this week that these details are still being worked out, in particular, when and how many extra vaccine doses will be available from the state for this project.
However, the County is still moving forward, with the expectation that the site will ramp up over a few weeks to 3,000 doses a day by April 15 using Holy Cross and Montgomery County doses as necessary. The Germantown site is opening because the County-run clinics at Quince Orchard and Richard Montgomery High Schools need to close when the high schools reopen.
Who cares whose doses they are? It’s relevant because the owner of the doses determines which list is used to send invitations for appointments. While Germantown is using County doses, invites will be sent from the County waitlist using the County timeline and phases. If it switches to state doses, the invites will likely be sent to people on the state waitlist using the State Phases. So please, until these lists are merged (a possibility in the near future) make sure you are on both lists once you are eligible.
Germantown is not a convenient location for many County residents. There is a second smaller site inside the Beltway being considered by the County as well. Stay tuned for more information.
Pharmacy Appointments
We are already seeing a significant increase in the number of appointments available at local pharmacies. As supply increases in the next few weeks, we will see more pharmacy locations joining the state and federal programs. You can find information about how to find a pharmacy appointment using my resource list. You can find additional tips on the Maryland Vaccine Hunters Facebook page.
Finally! Appointments Through Primary Care Providers
This week the state soft-launched its Primary Care Partnership. 37 Primary Care practices received vaccines to use for their eligible patients. The first group of providers primarily serve Black, Latino and rural populations in line with the state's equity efforts. We will see an expansion of this program in the coming weeks. This is incredibly exciting because health care providers are the people most qualified to prioritize patients who face greater medical risks.
The state wants as many health care providers as possible to sign up as vaccinators. Our goal is to have a large diverse network of vaccinators so we can prevent bottlenecks in our system as vaccines become more available.
To sign up as a vaccinating organization you need to register with Immunet and meet their eligibility requirements. Maryland has significantly expanded the list of who can administer a vaccination. In addition to any health care professional with vaccine administration in their scope of practice, we also include provisions for all health care professionals, paramedics, and volunteers to administer vaccines if they are properly trained and supervised. Click here for guidance on this program.
Pop-Up & Community Clinics
As vaccines become more available, we will be seeing more pop-up clinics supported by Hospitals and Pharmacies. These clinics will continue to prioritize those age 65+, racial minorities, underserved and vulnerable communities. Pulling them off is no easy task. They generally require significant community support.
Volunteers within the Somerset House Condo Association recently worked with the state health department to set up an onsite clinic for their vaccine-eligible residents. After their successful clinic, the volunteers put together this useful guide with suggestions and sample documents that can be used by other communities to support on-site clinics. As vaccine supply increases over the coming weeks, other communities can work together to create these opportunities with a pharmacy or hospital. If your community includes a significant number of people with disabilities, racial and ethnic minorities, or low-income individuals, the State Equity Task Force could support your clinic.
Best,
