Maryland reaches vaccine milestone

A milestone in COVID-19 vaccination has been reached, the governor said.

In a news release, Gov. Larry Hogan announced that more than 8 million Marylanders have been vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

“Thanks to the millions of people who have rolled up their sleeves, Maryland continues to be one of the most vaccinated states in America,” Hogan said in the release. “We have achieved these numbers with strong public health outreach, innovative lottery and scholarship promotions, and a relentless focus on equity.”

As of Wednesday morning, 8,007,738 vaccinations have been administered throughout the state, including an additional 119,899 booster shots. Of Marylanders age 65 and older, 96.5% have received at least one dose of the vaccine. For those age 18 and older, 84.1% have received at least one dose, and 83.1% of residents age 12 and older have received at least one dose.

According to the release, state health officials have built a state-wide infrastructure for administering the COVID-19 booster shots, and Maryland is one of the first in the country to authorize boosters for high-risk individuals and seniors.

The state-wide call center, the release reads, has scheduled more than 58,000 residents for booster shots, which is eligible to those residents six months after the second Pfizer shot.

As of Wednesday morning, the Department of Health website is reporting that there are 649 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 537,976. There were also 22 reported deaths to bring the state total to 10,282 and 11 new hospitalizations. There are currently 774 COVID-19 patients hospitalized around the state.

This article was originally posted on Maryland reaches vaccine milestone

Author: Brent Addleman

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