In an attempt to correct racial disparities Maryland expanded vaccine eligibility to residents that are 65 and older.
In Monday's Vaccine Oversight Workgroup committee meeting acting health secretary, Dennis Schrader said they noticed the 75 and older population tends to be more dominated by Caucasians so the state moved to 65 and older for better equity.
"As we move through time now that we've been vaccinating the general public over 65 for several weeks, we have visibility on where people are getting vaccinated through our ImmuNet system," said Schrader. "So we review that data each week and make adjustments to make sure that their is equity for every jurisdiction."
He also addressed the vaccine allocations in the state. Schrader says about 60% of the vaccines are given to local health departments and the mass vaccination sites. The remaining doses are distributed to other providers. Maryland is also creating a new category to keep track of those who are fully vaccinated to include the Johnson and Johnson vaccine since it is only one dose.
