Governor Hogan Encourages Eligible Marylanders to Get A COVID-19 Booster Shot, Details Outreach Efforts

Governor Hogan Encourages Eligible Marylanders to Get A COVID-19 Booster Shot, Details Outreach Efforts

Press release from the State of Maryland:

Directs State Health Officials to Accelerate Planning for Vaccinating 5- to 11-Year-Olds
Will Introduce Emergency Legislation to Increase Nursing Workforce Statewide
Calls on All School Systems to Enroll in COVID-19 Testing Program to Limit Quarantines
Urges Marylanders Who Test Positive for COVID-19 to Use Monoclonal Antibody Treatment

ANNAPOLIS, MD—In response to widespread confusion over existing federal guidance, Governor Larry Hogan today announced the current status of COVID-19 booster shot eligibility in the State of Maryland, and strongly encouraged those Marylanders who are eligible to immediately get their booster shot.

“If you are confused about boosters, you are not alone,” said Governor Hogan. “In spite of that, Maryland health officials and our state team have spent the last several months building the infrastructure for a statewide operation for boosters. We have also already launched a vigorous outreach effort for those Marylanders who are currently eligible for a booster shot.”

Watch today’s press conference.
View the slides from today’s press conference.

Guidance on COVID-19 Booster Eligibility. Approximately 500,000 Marylanders who fall into the following categories are currently eligible for a COVID-19 booster shot:

Pfizer Eligibility

Moderna Eligibility

• Immunocompromised Marylanders who received a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are also eligible for a booster shot.
• At this time, there is still no approval or guidance on Moderna boosters for the wider population.

Johnson & Johnson Eligibility

• At this time, there is no federal guidance for the more than 280,000 Marylanders who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

COVID-19 Booster Outreach Operation. The State of Maryland has administered over 78,000 COVID-19 booster shots and has launched a vigorous outreach effort for those Marylanders who are currently eligible.

• Last week, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) issued a bulletin directing vaccine providers to immediately make booster shots available to all eligible Marylanders.
• State health officials are engaging directly with Maryland nursing homes and congregate care facilities, local health departments, primary care physicians, hospitals pharmacies, and other providers.
• The statewide call center began directly contacting all eligible Marylanders this week. More than 30,000 appointments for booster shots have already been scheduled.
• Marylanders can visit covidvax.maryland.gov to find locations where Pfizer boosters are available.
• The State of Maryland is launching a series of television and radio ads encouraging eligible Marylanders to get their booster shot.

Next Steps on Vaccinating 5- to 11-Year-Olds. Governor Hogan directed state health officials to work closely with pediatricians, school systems, and local health departments to advance and accelerate their operation plans for vaccinating 5- to 11-year-olds. This week, Pfizer submitted data to the FDA showing that its vaccination is safe and effective for children, and approval is expected by the end of October.

Update on K-12 School Testing Program. Last year, Maryland introduced a statewide testing program for schools, making up to 1 million tests available immediately for both public and nonpublic schools. The following resources are currently available:

Surveillance Testing

• For the current school year, the Hogan administration has provided $182 million to local school systems for surveillance testing of the student population.
• The application period for this program has been extended to Oct. 10. So far, only 13 of the 24 public school systems are participating.

Rapid Tests

• MDH’s testing program currently has an additional 415,800 rapid tests available for schools to access.

Emergency Legislation to Increase Nursing Workforce. Governor Hogan announced that he will introduce emergency legislation to maximize the ability of state hospitals to increase their nursing workforce. This legislation would make permanent a number of the steps the governor announced last week to mitigate staffing shortages.

Monoclonal Antibody Treatment Available. The State of Maryland has administered more than 13,000 monoclonal antibody treatments, which have helped avoid approximately 600 hospitalizations and more than 250 deaths. These treatments are available at more than 80 facilities statewide, and state health officials have directed clinicians to step up their utilization of monoclonal antibodies. To learn more, visit covidlink.maryland.gov.