© 2024 WYPR
WYPR 88.1 FM Baltimore WYPF 88.1 FM Frederick WYPO 106.9 FM Ocean City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Healthcare coverage from WYPR is made possible by support from GBMC HealthCare.

Baltimore and Prince George’s Leaders Demand COVID-19 Vaccines For Black Marylanders

SCREENSHOT VIA BALTIMORE CITY DELEGATION

The leaders of Maryland’s two largest predominantly Black jurisdictions -- Baltimore City and Prince George’s County -- demanded a more equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine at a joint hearing Wednesday. 

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said the state has fundamentally ignored the barriers Black and Brown communities face getting the vaccine, and said the city needs more doses. 

“Despite statements otherwise, the residents of Baltimore City are both entitled to and deserve the vaccine,” Scott said. 

On Tuesday, Gov. Larry Hogan defended claims he made last week that Baltimore had gotten more vaccines than it was entitled to. He said the city, a jurisdiction with the fourth highest population in the state, had gotten the largest number of vaccine doses. 

But state records show that most of those doses have gone to non-city residents. The data also shows that white Marylanders are getting vaccinated at four times the rate as Black Marylanders. 

Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said all Marylanders deserve the vaccine as tax-paying residents. 

“We haven’t shown up today to beg anybody for anything,” Alsobrooks said. “We’re asking for what we already paid for.” 

Prince George’s continues to have the lowest vaccination rate in the state. As of Wednesday, 8.586% of residents have received a first dose, and 3.787% have received a second dose.

 

Sarah Y. Kim is WYPR’s health and housing reporter. Kim is WYPR's Report for America corps member, and Anthony Brandon Fellow. Kim joined WYPR as a 2020-2021 corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project that pairs young journalists with local newsrooms. Now in her second year as an RFA corps member, Kim is based in Baltimore City.