Vaccines remain in limited supply
ANNAPOLIS, MD (January 21, 2021) Due to the limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines, County Executive Steuart Pittman and Health Officer Nilesh Kalyanaraman, M.D., announced today that Anne Arundel County Department of Health will focus on providing vaccines to senior adults age 75 and over as it works through the state’s Phase 1B category. There are an estimated 40,000 residents age 75 and over within Anne Arundel County. The county continues to vaccinate frontline workers in the state’s Phase 1A category.
At this time, only people in the state's Phase 1A category and the segment of Phase 1B age 75 and over are being scheduled for appointments. People in any phase, including anyone 75 and older, can pre-register with the Health Department through this link aacounty.org/covidvax to be alerted when their phase is up for vaccinations. However, those who pre-register will not receive an automatic response. When there is availability and supply for your phase, the county will send you an invitation to select a date and time for appointment.
“Thanks to outstanding work by our Health Department, Fire Department, Aging and Disabilities," said County Executive Pittman. "We’re receiving 5,000 first doses each week from the federal government and we are administering that number of shots. We will double our capacity when we receive more vaccine.”
To date, the Health Department has administered more than 10,600 vaccinations. Over 60,000 residents have already pre-registered with more than 15,000 of those age 75 and older. With the current vaccine supply, it will take a number of weeks to vaccinate the priority group within Phase 1B. The Health Department is currently hiring 120 new employees to help with vaccine distribution.
Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) has partnered with the Anne Arundel County Fire Department to vaccinate educators and staff. AACPS will notify educators and other school personnel separately with instructions on how to sign up to receive an appointment to be vaccinated by the Fire Department.
For anyone without access to the internet, the best method to sign up to receive a vaccination is to get help from a family member, friend, or another adult. For more information, call 410-222-3663. The county is also providing Taxi Vouchers to those in need of transportation. Please call 410-222-4222 for more information.
As the vaccine rollout continues, the Health Department advises residents to continue observing the 3 Ws: Wear a mask. Watch your distance. Wash your hands.
“Vaccinating adults over 75 is the key to saving the most lives in the coming weeks,” said County Executive Pittman. “We eagerly await news of additional vaccine supply from the state of Maryland, so that we can get moving on vaccinating educators and others in Phase 1B,” said County Executive Pittman.