County leaders from across the state have asked the Administration to improve their coordination of vaccine doses and communication about their allocations – in a letter sent to the Governor on February 8.
County officials – who have elevated vaccine distribution to the top of their priority list – expressed concerns about dose allocations, planning for vaccination locations, and the tension between local health departments’ “prioritizing” approach versus private providers’ more open approach.
From the full letter, counties offer five essential tenets of the ideal plan going forward:
- Share weekly vaccine allocation projections with the public and release them sooner.
- Demonstrate that counties are receiving their share of doses by publishing private provider allocations by distribution site.
- Fulfill local health department weekly requests before allocating doses to private providers or state sites.
- Allow Local Health Departments to operate one-stop pre-registration, or create a statewide system.
- Expedite the release of $400 million in federal vaccination, testing, contact tracing, and COVID mitigation funds. Prioritize direct grants to Local Health Departments.
Read the full February 8 letter from county leaders online:
02-08-2021 County Letter to Gov Hogan RE Vaccine Distribution Suggestions
See also, coverage from Maryland Matters:
