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Still Less Than Half of Allegany County Vaccinated

January 3rd, 2022 by WCBC Radio

With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting Emergency Use Authorizations (EAU) to two oral COVID-19 antiviral medications in late December, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) has received an initial two-week allocation of 5,460 medication courses – 960 courses of Paxlovid (by Pfizer) and 4,500 courses of Molnupiravir (by Merck) – from the federal government. These new oral antiviral medications are not used to prevent COVID but instead to treat individuals who have contracted COVID. Due to the limited supply, MDH has directed healthcare providers to reserve their portions of these antivirals for COVID patients at the greatest risk for life-threatening complications from COVID-19 until larger quantities of the new medications are available.

Health officials continue to stress that a COVID vaccine and booster provides the best protection against severe illness from COVID-19. Currently, 49.1% of Allegany County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, compared to 70.6% of all Marylanders.

UPCOMING VACCINE CLINICS:

January 5: Allegany County Fairgrounds, 11400 Moss Avenue, Cumberland, MD

  • Moderna Booster Clinic (ages 18+) by appointment only. Register online at https://www.marylandvax.org/appointment/en/reg/0511621369.

  • First and second doses of Moderna (ages 18+), first and second doses of Pfizer (ages 12+), and booster doses of Pfizer (ages 16+) are available on a walk-in basis. No appointment is necessary.

 

January 5: Allegany County Health Department, Willowbrook Office Complex – Ground Floor, 12501 Willowbrook Road, Cumberland, MD

For assistance registering for an appointment, county residents can call the COVID-19 call center at 240-650-3999. COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are also widely available in the community at local pharmacies, urgent care clinics, and some primary care providers.

Free drive-thru COVID testing is available at the Allegany County Fairgrounds on Mondays from 2 to 7 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Please note that the health department does NOT offer COVID-19 testing at its Willowbrook Office Complex facilities.