MD Will Get 155K Coronavirus Vaccines In 1st Wave, Hogan Explains

ANNAPOLIS, MD — With two coronavirus vaccines awaiting authorization, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said his state is ready. The governor reminded Marylanders to remain patient, however. It will take several months to distribute all the immunizations, he added.

Each vaccine hopeful, made by Pfizer and Moderna, has submitted its emergency-use application to the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA could clear both in the coming weeks. Whenever the first batch of immunizations is okayed, Maryland will get about 155,000 doses.

"That's not enough even to cover our front-line health care workers," Hogan said Thursday morning on ABC. "We have about 300,000 of those."

It will take time to ramp up vaccine production, but Hogan hopes to secure 300,000 doses by the end of the year.

Every recipient needs two shots, separated by three or four weeks. That double demand adds even more pressure for speedy manufacturing.

Maryland will administer the vaccines based on need. Health care workers and folks in assisted living facilities will get the shots first.

The general public can get the immunization soon after. Though widespread vaccination will take months, Hogan believes the government will distribute the shot fairly.

"I’ve been critical when I thought that things weren’t going well at the federal level, [but] I think Operation Warp Speed is a tremendous success," Hogan said. "All the communication we’ve had with the people at the federal level has been great, and they’ve got a good plan."

Despite the vaccine's progress, Hogan is worried about Marylanders' willingness to get the shot. An October poll estimated that half the state would refuse the immunization if it were approved that day. At least 70 percent of the population needs to get vaccinated to sufficiently fight the virus, Hogan said.

The governor urged residents to stay diligent, as infections and hospitalizations are on the rise in Maryland. Nationally, hospital usage and coronavirus-blamed deaths are growing faster than ever. On Wednesday, the U.S. broke its hospitalization and daily deaths records.

"Sadly, the darkest days are yet ahead," Hogan said. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we’ve still got some pain to go through before we get this under control."

Hogan was initially concerned that a disputed election would hurt the country's fight against the virus. He is now convinced there will be a clean transition between President Donald Trump (R) and President-elect Joe Biden (D). Hogan's optimism comes as leaders start to accept Biden's imminent presidency.

"We're in the worst battle of this war," Hogan said. "The handoff has got to be smooth."

Trump's advisers now share key coronavirus information with Biden. The nation's governors also met with the president-elect to discuss the pandemic.

Hogan took it a step further. He wrote a letter to Biden, pushing him to consider Maryland's federal priorities. The governor requested economic relief, infrastructure investments and Chesapeake Bay support.

"We've got to work together," Hogan said. "There's got to be no politics in this virus."

To read Maryland's vaccination plan, click here. To catch up on Maryland's coronavirus trends, read Patch's latest update.

Hogan's full interview on "Good Morning America" is viewable below.

RELATED:

• Coronavirus Vaccine: How Will MD Distribute It? Hogan Shares Plan
• Half Of All Marylanders Would Refuse Coronavirus Vaccine: Poll
• Coronavirus Relief: Hogan Urges Biden To Consider MD's Priorities
• Youngest Marylander Dies Of Coronavirus: MD Health Officials
• Multiple Coronavirus Vaccine Hopefuls Underway In Maryland: Hogan
• Hogan Says Trump Should Accept Results Or Prove There Was Fraud

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