Posted on 01/27/21
| News Source: WBAL
Though Maryland has yet to see its vaccine supplies trend up, pharmacies will be critical to the vaccination effort when that does happen.
Gov. Larry Hogan was in District Heights on Wednesday, visiting one of the Giant Food locations where Marylanders with appointments are getting shots.
The governor picked the location in Prince George's County for a reason. Just over 90% of District Heights residents are Black, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Many in the Black community have voiced reluctance to take the vaccine, a reluctance grounded in a difficult relationship with medical science. At the same time, Black people are at high risk for comorbidities related to the virus and more frequently work jobs in the service sector and others that put them at risk of exposure to the virus.
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"This terrible disease has really affected communities of color more than anybody else and the only way we get through this is with this vaccine that offers so much hope," Hogan said.
County Executive Angela Alsobrooks thanked Hogan for "choosing Prince George's County twice," putting a state testing site at FedEx Field and choosing Six Flags America for a mass vaccination site to open by the end of next week.
The state had a six-day supply of vaccinations as of Tuesday. Starting next Tuesday, the state expects to receive 16% more daily doses from the federal government. Maryland expects 50% more from federal officials in the weeks to come.
There are more than 100 vaccination providers in Maryland. Next week, select Safeway and Rite Aid locations will join a state partnership. Read more at WBAL