Baltimore County has received more than 11,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines thus far, and County Executive Johnny Olszewski promised Thursday that “no vaccine will go to waste.”
Olszewski and County Health Officer Doctor Gregory Branch, at a news conference in Towson, laid out details of how the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are being administered in the county.
Following state guidelines, the county is first immunizing health care providers and their staff, according to Branch. He said the county does not know how many people fall into that category.
“We are assuming at this particular time that in the next couple to several weeks we will be able to move on to the next phase,” Branch said.
More than 2,000 people have been vaccinated so far in the county, according to Branch. He said more will be immunized this week, and 7 clinics are set up for next week. Branch expects all the vaccines currently on hand will be “in the arms” by next week.
Branch said he does not schedule a clinic until he has vaccines in hand.
“I don’t know necessarily when I am going to get the vaccine and how much, and I don’t want to put the appointments out there and not receive the vaccine,” Branch said.
At a Baltimore County Council meeting earlier this week, council members said they were hearing from constituents who want to know when the vaccine will be available to them.
“Our office is getting significant numbers of calls related to Baltimore County’s rollout of the vaccine,” said Democratic Councilman Izzy Patoka.
Olszewski said Thursday that the rollout of the vaccines is a massive undertaking.
“It will still be many months before all of us can receive a vaccine,” Olszewski said. “In the meantime, we ask for your patience, your understanding and your partnership.”
Baltimore County this week launched a provider registry. Branch said health care providers can register through the portal.
“We will reach out to the registered providers with information on scheduling vaccinations for themselves and their staff,” Branch said.
