Reporting Shows Maryland One of the Worst States in the Nation for Vaccine Administration
Maryland – Monday, January 4th, Maryland Democratic Party Chair Yvette Lewis released the following statement after Bloomberg reported that Maryland is the eighth-worst state in the nation for COVID-19 vaccine administration, with less than one percent of Marylanders having been vaccinated:
“As Maryland continues to report over 2,000 COVID-19 cases a day, the Hogan administration should be allocating vaccines as swiftly and efficiently as possible. These doses need to go to our first responders, essential workers, and the Marylanders who are most at risk. With the work ethic, tenacity, and ingenuity of our people, there is no excuse for Maryland to be trailing the nation. Our status as one of the worst states for COVID-19 vaccine distribution is nothing short of a failure.
“Just as Montgomery County Chief of Public Health Travis Gayles said, the shortcomings can be traced back to years of budget cuts by Governor Hogan, which left municipalities like Montgomery County ‘kneecapped.’
“Governor Hogan should address this failure and publicly lay out his plans to remedy his administration’s deficiencies. If he has time to give hour-long speeches about Ronald Reagan, he certainly has time to address the concerns of Marylanders waiting to protect themselves or their loved ones. These shortcomings are especially troubling after Hogan’s Secretary of Health and Head of Procurement both left amid the Governor’s COVID-19 testing scandal.”
Bloomberg reported that Maryland ranks among the worst states for COVID-19 vaccine administration, with only .99% of our state vaccinated, and 28.7% of our 208,725 allocated doses having been used. This 28.7% is roughly five percent less than the national average, and is solidly behind West Virginia, and Delaware.
If anyone has concerns about the Coronavirus, or thinks they or their loved ones may have been exposed to COVID-19, they can find information on testing and outbreaks at hhs.gov/coronavirus.
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