COVID-19 Vaccine Update

Happy New Year! I hope everyone is off to a good start all things considered.

Many of you have called regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. For those that did not read my Reflections and COVID-19 Update on 12/29/2020, you can find that here.

As I mentioned previously, the prioritization and distribution of the vaccine is regulated by state governments based on CDC recommendations. For Maryland residents, you can find an update to the Maryland Vaccine Distribution Plan here. Administration of the vaccine will occur through State approved vaccine sites. Due to the strict regulatory and logistic requirements, we are unable to administer this vaccine in our office. I am hopeful that Hopkins will be an approved site for vaccine distribution for our patients. However, an equitable process for distribution has yet to be determined. As soon as I have more information regarding the Hopkins vaccine distribution plan, I will let everyone know.

Most vaccines will be distributed through sites managed by the State of Maryland Health Department. In fact, the State has already set up sites for its Phase 1a distribution. According to the Governor’s Office, Phase 1b distribution will likely start in late January and Phase 1c distribution will likely start in March. However, the process for prioritizing and administering the vaccine within each group has not been fully determined.

Please refer to the Maryland CovidLink website for the most up to date information, which you can find here. For patients outside Maryland, please contact your State Department of Health website for specific guidelines. We will continue to provide updates as best we can, but this is a rapidly changing situation managed by state governments and as such it is out of our control.

In the meantime, until you are eligible to receive your vaccine, please continue to follow the CDC prevention guidelines here.

Wishing you good health in the New Year ahead.

With warm regards,

Bill