BALTIMORE, Md. — Envisioning a day when tens of thousands of fans can return to Camden Yards, Governor Larry Hogan chose Oriole Park to launch the GoVAX campaign.
“That day is coming, but the only way we get there and the only way we bring this pandemic to an end is through the safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines,” said Hogan as he unveiled a new public service announcement on Friday.
Distrust and hesitancy have, thus far, limited the effectiveness of the state’s vaccination program, leaving many of its most vulnerable residents, including people of color at risk.
New Psalmist Baptist Church Bishop Walter Thomas shared some insight on how he made the choice to get the shot.
“I can take the vaccine. I can get the virus. I can get sick. I can die. I can spend the rest of my life in my house,” said Thomas, “Given those options, there was only one worth taking.”
The campaign also has experts supporting the science behind the vaccines and speaking to the risks of avoiding them.
“I have had the privilege to serve in the medical field to take care of patients with COVID,” said Dr. Kathleen Page of Johns Hopkins Medicine, “but I also have been heartbroken so many times to see so many people suffer so severely… die… away from their families.”
While the initial campaign is focused on minorities’ hesitancy to get vaccinated, the governor says in the months to come, it will target every demographic in every community in the state.
