March 19th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

Governor Larry Hogan released an updated and accelerated distribution schedule for COVID-19 vaccines in Maryland.  Phase 2 of the revised distribution plan will begin on March 23 with Marylanders age 60 or older.  On March 30, Marylanders age 16 and older with underlying medical conditions that increase their risk for severe illness will become eligible.  On April 13, eligibility will open to healthy adults age 55 and older and workers in critical industries such as construction, food services, utilities, transportation, financial services, IT and other infrastructure.  Additionally, individuals that were eligible in Phase 1 who are still awaiting a vaccine will continue to be prioritized first for appointments.

The Governor stated that his goal is to open up vaccination eligibility to all remaining Maryland residents by April 27. 

Allegany County residents can register for vaccination locally with the Allegany County Health Department and UPMC Western Maryland by completing the Vaccine Interest Form at health.maryland.gov/allegany.  Those completing that form are added to a database and will be contacted by phone or email when vaccine becomes available for them through either UPMC Western Maryland or the health department.  Please be sure to answer your phone even if you don’t recognize the number, and check your email regularly.

The Allegany County Health Department reports that 13,911 Allegany County residents have received their first dose of a two-dose vaccine against COVID-19 (19.8% of the population), with 8,877 of those individuals now fully vaccinated with their second dose (12.6% of the population).  Additionally, 431 Allegany County residents have received the single dose Janssen vaccine (0.6%)  By comparison, the state reported that 22.2% of all Marylanders had received their first dose of a two-dose vaccine, with 11.6% having had both doses and an additional 0.9% vaccinated with the single dose vaccine.

                                                              

Allegany County COVID-19 Case Statistics as of March 18:

 

• New COVID Cases:  7 (cumulative total 6,457)
• Additional Deaths:  1 (cumulative total 202)
• Cases Per 100,000 Population:  4.87 (Maryland: 15.17)
• Positivity Rate:  1.78%   (Maryland: 4.16%)