Anne Arundel County, City Of Annapolis To Provide Transportation To Mass Vaccination Site
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- If you want to get a coronavirus vaccine, but don't have a ride, there's now a way for you to get your shot.
Anne Arundel County and the City of Annapolis will provide transportation to the new mass vaccination site that opened on April 15 at the Navy-Corps Memorial Stadium
"Anne Arundel County has prioritized our most vulnerable residents throughout the vaccination rollout, and we will continue to do so at the new mass vaccination site by providing free, convenient transportation options for our residents," County Executive Steuart Pittman said. "We won't allow transportation barriers to stand in the way of anyone getting vaccinated. Thank you to the Maryland Department of Health, Anne Arundel County Fire Department, and all our partners for getting this site ready to start vaccinating residents on April 15."
County residents can call the Office of Transportation at 410-222-0225 or 410-222-0047 to access the vaccine ride service and schedule a free ride. Operators will be on hand Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.
They can get a ride to the mass vaccination site or any other vaccine site in the county.
"Vaccinating our most at-risk residents is the key to saving lives and preventing hospitalizations," Health Officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said. "Many of them have limited access to transportation. With the combination of community clinics and these free transportation options, we hope everyone will have easier access to get vaccinated."
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Residents ages 55 and older or residents 18 and older with a disability are also able through the Department of Aging and Disabilities' Taxi Voucher program to schedule transportation to their vaccine appointment. The Taxi Voucher program offers discounted taxi vouchers with participating cab companies, each book costs $5 and is worth a value of $10. For additional details on this program, residents can call 410-222-4222.
"Navy Stadium is centrally located and a great spot for a mass vaccination site," Mayor Buckley said. "But for those without easy access to transportation options, it might as well be a million miles away. Simplifying access to this site will help us get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible - and help us to get to the other side of this pandemic."
The City of Annapolis will provide free shuttle bus service from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium to Church Circle, connecting residents to major City-operated transit routes.
Mona El Amiouni was one of the hundreds of Anne Arundel County locals happy to get their first COVID-19 shot at the new mass vaccination site at Navy Stadium.
"I'm excited," she said. "We just can't wait to end this and everyone can go back to their normal life."
The site opened Thursday morning with 500 vaccination appointments available, but it will eventually be able to immunize up to 1,500 people per day.
It's one of 11 active mass vaccination sites in Maryland and the first in Anne Arundel County.
"That had been part of our plan, was to open up a vaccination site at the stadium," Dr. Kalyanaraman said. "In the first few months, there really wasn't enough vaccine to be able to do that."
Marylanders who got their shot said the site seems to be running very smoothly.
"It was very fast," one Anne Arundel County resident told WJZ. "I'm really impressed."
Many said they were happy to get the shot and are hoping as more of Maryland gets vaccinated that they can soon return to some sense of normalcy
"I want to travel," El Amiouni said. "We've been stuck at home for a long time."
Anne Arundel County residents got the Moderna shot on Thursday, but officials said like any other mass vaccination site, the vaccine type as is refer changes based on availability.
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.
