BALTIMORE — They typically come to M&T Bank Stadium as fans, but on this day, people arrived at there as patients prepared to get their much-awaited COVID vaccine shots.
“As soon as I got the text from the Maryland Ready system, I jumped on the website and called the number just to see who got it through first and I got lucky,” said Philip Anderson who lives just north of the stadium.
Lucky, with so many seeking the shots and so few appointments available with the vaccine in short supply.
“Tomorrow, we have another 250 folks scheduled and then over the weekend, 500 on Saturday, 500 Sunday, and then by Monday, we’re at a thousand and we ramp up from there,” said University of Maryland Medicine Dr. Jason Marx.
Governor Larry Hogan surveyed the operation offering encouragement to those waiting to get their Pfizer shots.
Asked if he had considered setting aside vaccines here and at the convention center site specifically for the people of Baltimore, Hogan said the state is trying to reach the diverse community, which has shown some reluctance in seeking the shots.
“As of last week, Baltimore City had gotten far more than they really were entitled to. We’ve got now two mass VAX sites here,” said Hogan. “The city health department is only doing 14 percent of the shots here in the city. We’re doing, with other partners, 86 percent of the effort.”
Tempest Archibong of Baltimore says she’s seen no reluctance among those closest to her.
The Airman 1st Class with the Maryland Air National Guard is helping with the stadium’s clinic.
“Family and friends have reached out,” Archibong told us. “We just encourage them to fill out the link and register so that way they can come down to M&T Bank and get the vaccine.”
We’re told when the availability of the vaccine is no longer an issue, the stadium will be able to handle as many as 10,000 vaccines per day.
