ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Johnson&Johnson vaccine may soon be on its way along with a fourth state mass-vaccination site.
Those were the highlights of Governor Larry Hogan's Tuesday COVID-19 update.
Regency Furniture Stadium in Charles County, home to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, will host the latest mass vaccination clinic.
The site is expected to open no later than March 11.
FEMA is reportedly providing more than 100 staff at the location.
In the coming weeks, the state plans to open two more vaccination sites on the Eastern Shore and in Western Maryland.
Others have already opened at the Baltimore Convention Center and at Six Flags America.
M&T Bank Stadium will act as one beginning Thursday, but all initial spots have already been booked.
Appointments are required to receive a vaccination at each location.
To help with that process, the state in March will launch an online appointment pre-registration system.
An appointment hot line is already open 7-days a week and can be reached at 1-855-634-6829.
In other major news, Hogan says states have been told to prepare as early as next week, for shipments of the new Johnson and Johnson vaccine.
Although not yet approved by the FDA it could be an indication that the vaccine, which is being manufactured at Emergent BioSolutions in East Baltimore, could soon be available.
Unlike Moderna and Pfizer which each have about 95 percent effectiveness against contracting COVID-19 , Johnson and Johnson's has only a 77 percent prevention rate.
But one major difference is that only one dose is required as opposed to Moderna and Pfizer's two doses.
Johnson and Johnson can also be refrigerated at normal temperature while the others cannot.
School re-openings were also addressed during Tuesday's briefing.
Hogan issued an executive order mandating anyone age 5 or older to wear a face covering in nearly all school settings.
All jurisdictions appear to be heading toward some form of in-person instruction by next month.
Previously the administration committed to providing schools with a million COVID-19 tests and millions of dollars worth of masks and other PPE.
Also on Tuesday the Governor announced a partnership between the state, the University of Maryland Baltimore, and Johns Hopkins to bolster surveillance of coronavirus variants.
Health officials will use genomic sequencing and contact tracing efforts to identify and track variant cases throughout Maryland to better understand how the variants spread and affect people.
About 60 cases of foreign COVID-19 variants have been detected in the state thus far.
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Finally Hogan mentioned recent reports of attempted fraud related to vaccines.
He emphasized that vaccines are free and no payment information is required prior to getting one.
If you are asked to pay money, you can call in and make a report at 800-492-6116.
As of Tuesday -- 1,260,975 vaccinations have been administered.
Currently 12.35 percent of the state population has received a first dose with 6.049 percent receiving a second dose.
The now sits at a 3.9 percent positivity rate with 978 hospitalizations.
