Maryland Opens All Vaccination Sites To Anyone 16+; Infections In Baltimore City Up 172% In 4 Weeks
BALTIMORE (WJZ) —Almost one in four Marylanders is now fully vaccinated, but new infections and the positivity rate are still rising.
Monday, for the first time, the state allowed Marylanders to go anywhere they wanted to get a vaccination. Before, the newly eligible were limited to mass vaccination sites, of which two more opened up Monday.
The new sites opened at Frederick Community College and Navy-Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
"We ultimately want a vaccine available for anybody who can take a vaccine," Dr. Clifford Mitchell of the Maryland Department of Health told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren. He encouraged people to make appointments, while noting a limited number of walk-up vaccinations are available at some mass vaccination locations.
Maryland is also planning to open new mass vaccination sites this week at Frederick Community College and the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis.
Governor Hogan tweeted that 49% of all adults in Maryland have received at least one dose of vaccine.
There are more glimmers of hope: The University of Maryland System released video of the 1000th patient discharged from the hospital following a harrowing bout with COVID—19.
Pfizer is getting closer to gaining approval to vaccinate children as young as 12. Some children are already dealing with long-term problems from Covid.
People in three states suffered adverse reactions to Johnson & Johnson's vaccine last week.
Maryland is getting 250,000 fewer J&J doses for the remainder of April because of manufacturing issues in Baltimore, but the White House's senior Covid adviser doesn't see a problem meeting vaccination goals.
"We are pleased by the fact that Johnson & Johnson in the meantime has taken control of the plant, has eliminated the confounding factor of another vaccine being produced there, and they remain confident that they're going to be able to deliver at or near 24 million doses this month and close to 100 million by May. So, we remain confident that big picture, we have more than enough vaccine to continue to vaccinate the public," said Andy Slavitt.
Variants are also a concern. The CDC says 20.4% of recent cases in Maryland are the more contagious UK strain.
In Baltimore City, the number of new infections is up 172% compared to 4 weeks ago.
Harford County is leading the state in positivity at 9.29%.
Maryland recorded another 985 cases on Monday with the statewide positivity rate at 5.6%.
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.
