FEMA Will Launch First Federal Mobile COVID Vaccination Units Along Maryland's Eastern Shore
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- The first federal mobile vaccination units will launch in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency will launch two mobile sites to provide thousands of vaccinations to Maryland who live in remote or underserved areas of the Eastern Shore.
"We continue to expand our vaccine distribution network to maximize points of distribution in every jurisdiction, which will now include the nation's first federally-operated mobile vaccination units," said Governor Hogan. "These federal units will complement the Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force's mobile clinics and help us get more shots into the arms of our most vulnerable populations. I want to thank the White House, FEMA, and all of our federal partners for working with us to expand our vaccination efforts."
Appointments will be targeted to people who are socially vulnerable or live in remote areas and will be booked through the health department in the patient's county of residence.
These federal mobile clinics will build on the state's mobile vaccination clinics launched earlier in March.
"We continue to expand our vaccine distribution network to maximize points of distribution in every jurisdiction, which will now include the nation's first federally-operated mobile vaccination units," said Governor Hogan. "These federal units will complement the Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force's mobile clinics and help us get more shots into the arms of our most vulnerable populations. I want to thank the White House, FEMA, and all of our federal partners for working with us to expand our vaccination efforts."
The 32-foot trailers will include cold storage for the doses and storage for administrative materials, staff office space and generators.
Each unit will provide a minimum of 250 doses per day. Schedules will vary depending upon need.
"From the start, our team has worked with the federal government to provide vaccine equity for all Marylanders," said Acting Secretary Dennis R. Schrader of the Maryland Department of Health. "We're excited to be the first state in the nation to include a collaboration with FEMA in our mobile vaccination efforts, and we are pleased to offer Marylanders near the path of these units the opportunity to get vaccinated close to home."
The initial vaccination clinics will target:
- Workers in the manufacturing and food processing plants on the Eastern Shore, specifically those working in poultry processing plants.
- Minority and migrant populations, and those who may lack adequate transportation to commute to and from a standstill vaccination site outside of their community or place of work.
- Those living in small towns and enclaves on the Eastern Shore.
"Throughout this entire vaccine mission, we've been fighting two enemies: a virus and the inequities it has caused," said Janice Barlow, acting FEMA Region 3 regional administrator. "These mobile units will ensure that we reach the underserved in their neighborhoods, where they live, and bring us one step closer to winning the war against COVID-19."The mobile units are funded and operated by FEMA and will use trained vaccinators and clinical staff from county, state, and federal agencies."
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
