MD COVID Vaccination Rate Hits 98% For Seniors, Hogan Encourages Booster Shots

MARYLAND — Gov. Larry Hogan touted high senior COVID-19 vaccination rates and booster shot eligibility at a news conference Monday as the state prepares to roll out vaccinations for children when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control authorizes them.

Hogan said 98 percent of people age 65 and older in the state have received at least one dose of the vaccine. For ages 18 and over that number is 85.9 percent, and for 12 and over the number is 84.9 percent.

“As one of the most vaccinated states, Maryland’s case rate and positivity rate are among the lowest in the country, and they are continuing to drop,” said Hogan in a statement Monday. “Maintaining immunity is critical to keeping our health and economic recovery going, and we urge eligible Marylanders to get a booster shot as soon as possible.”

Hogan's statement highlighted a decrease in positivity rate, case rate and hospitalization rate in Maryland:

• COVID-19 positivity rate (3.21 percent) has declined by 37.1 percent since Aug. 22.
• COVID-19 case rate per 100K (12.6) has declined by 39.4 percent since Sept. 15.
• COVID-19 hospitalizations (609) have declined by 27.9 percent since Sept. 9, and are down 68.8 percent from their peak.

Hogan said the CDC is expected to permit vaccines for kids as early as next week, and the state is working to be ready for when that happens.

"We are now completing final preparations for being able to vaccinate 5- to 11-year-olds," said Hogan at the news conference. "We anticipate that CDC authorization could come as early as next week, which will make 515,000 Maryland children immediately eligible for a vaccine."

When that happens, the state will have more information about who is eligible and where to get a vaccine, the governor said.

"We will be providing additional updates to make sure parents have all of the information that they need," said Hogan.

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Booster Shots

Residents of Maryland can now "mix and match" booster shots — meaning someone who got Moderna for their first two doses can still get the Pfizer shot as their booster, for example. The announcement came one day after the CDC made the same recommendation.

"Eligible Marylanders may now choose which vaccine they want for a booster, even if it is different from what they received initially," Hogan said in a statement Friday, Oct. 22.

As of last Friday, more than 250,000 booster shots had been given in Maryland. Nearly 1.4 million people in the state are eligible, Hogan said at a news conference Monday. The current list of eligible people for boosters is:

• 65 years and older
• Age 18 and up and living in a long term care setting
• Age 18 and up with underlying medical condition
• Age 18 or up who work or live in high-risk settings
  • First responders (police officers, firefighters, EMT)
  • Health care workers
  • Congregate care staff
  • Education staff (teachers, support staff, day-care workers)
  • Food service workers
  • Agriculture workers
  • Manufacturing workers
  • Corrections workers
  • U.s. Postal Service workers
  • Public transit workers
  • Grocery store workers

Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are all approved as booster shots in Maryland.

"Effective immediately, state health officials are authorizing providers to make Moderna and Johnson & Johnson booster shots available to eligible recipients," Hogan said. "Maryland took this same decisive step when the federal government authorized the Pfizer vaccine as a booster shot for eligible individuals in September."

Hogan and Maryland Secretary of Health Dennis Schrader emphasized that anyone with underlying conditions or comorbidities should get a booster shot.

Hogan had asked eligible Marylanders to get the booster shot in September, and rolled out an outreach plan to make sure people knew they are eligible. That included phone calls, television ads, and social media campaigns, Maryland Secretary of Health Dennis Schrader said.

"There is no need to wait to hear from us, however," said Schrader at a news conference in September. "If you are eligible for a booster shot, we strongly encourage you to get one right away."

COVID-19 Restrictions

Counties and school districts around the state have reimplemented policies in an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19, including vaccine requirements for school employees in Montgomery County, vaccines or testing required for student-athletes in Prince George's County, and masking requirements indoors in some municipalities.