December 18th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today launched its new COVID-19 vaccine information page, housed within covidlink.maryland.gov. The page, which is part of MDH’s COVID-19 public information hub, will serve as home base for COVID-19 vaccine updates as information continues to evolve. 

“Our CovidLink site is among the most dynamic, robust and trustworthy COVID-19 information sources for Marylanders,” said MDH Acting Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. “This is a rapidly changing situation, so we want to ensure that everyone looks to CovidLink for the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 vaccinations, as more information becomes available.”

The new page includes information about Maryland COVID-19 vaccine priority groups; vaccine status and dosing information; and resources about vaccine development, clinical studies and emergency use authorization approval. As Maryland progresses in its COVID-19 vaccination plan, MDH will update the page accordingly. The page will also link to MDH’s forthcoming COVID-19 vaccination data dashboard.

“Having a safe and effective vaccine is critical to Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccination plan success, as is our commitment to keeping the public informed,” said MDH Acting Deputy Secretary for Public Health Dr. Jinlene Chan. “In addition to updating our CovidLink site and releasing our COVID-19 vaccination data, we will continue our outreach and engagement to ensure communities statewide have the information and resources they need.”

Maryland launched covidlink.maryland.gov in August. Since then, the site has expanded to include information about testing, slowing the spread of COVID-19, frequently asked questions and contact tracing—including information about MD COVID Alert, Maryland’s contact tracing app. The site is also home to Maryland’s COVID-19 public service campaigns, including “Answer the Call” for contact tracing and “Masks On Maryland” to encourage mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing. Its sister site, coronavirus.maryland.gov, houses Maryland’s COVID-19 data.

Yesterday, Governor Hogan issued an order that authorizes the Secretary of Health to expand testing and quarantine requirements for travel, while MDH issued a public health advisory warning Marylanders against all non-essential activities and holiday gatherings with people outside one’s immediate household. The actions are intended to help slow the spread of COVID-19 through the holiday season.  

To date, Maryland has confirmed 246,553 cases of COVID-19 and has conducted more than 5.2 million COVID-19 tests, while the state’s 7-day positivity rate average is 7.77 percent.

To view the new COVID-19 vaccine information page, visit covidlink.maryland.gov/content/vaccine.

For the latest Maryland COVID-19 data, visit coronavirus.maryland.gov.