Moderna COVID-19 vaccine arrives in Maryland this week, officials say

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Governor Larry Hogan announced on Monday that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which was granted emergency use authorization by the FDA on Friday, has begun shipping to recipients in Maryland.

We’re told the state’s total allotment now includes more than 191,000 total doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.

Every hospital statewide is receiving vaccine doses from the initial allotments of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, both of which are two-dose vaccines. The number of doses distributed to each hospital is based on its total number of high-risk staff. Once this week’s shipments are complete, enough doses will have been distributed to vaccine roughly 90% of the state’s frontline hospital staff. Health officials anticipate that the remainder will be covered next week.

In addition, state health officials have signed up every Maryland nursing home and assisted living facility for vaccinations. CVS and Walgreens locations across the state are receiving shipments of the Pfizer vaccine for administration to nursing home residents and staff, and expect to start vaccination clinics later this week.

Each local health department will also receive an initial 100-dose shipment of the Moderna vaccine to confirm proper functioning of the state logistics chain to prepare for the remainder of Phase 1A vaccination efforts.