BALTIMORE CO. MD (WMAR) — "It can't be any easier right? I mean unless they drive right to your door and knock on your door. That’s the only way it could get any easier," said Joe Rice.
Rice was one of the first people vaccinated Tuesday at Baltimore County’s new mobile outreach unit, paid for by CARES Act funding.
"If you see this mobile unit then there in lies a vaccine for you," Baltimore County Health Officer Dr. Gregory Branch.
It’s the next phase of the county’s efforts to address vaccine distribution and hesitancy.
Last weekend marked the first time that the county’s mass vaccination clinics had unused appointments.
"This is an important sign that after months of significant scarcity, we are finally getting to see the impact of increasing supply and decreasing demand," said Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski.
With only 54 percent of Baltimore County's population over age 16 vaccinated, which is less than the state average, they are taking their efforts into neighborhoods with the new unit.
"I do believe there are people who are willing to get the vaccine but might be a little unsure. There are some people who say 'I'm gonna let you go first and I’ll go second', and there are some people who say 'I'm gonna let you go third of fourth and I'll go fifth' so I wanna talk to those people," said Branch.
The county will use data to target areas for the mobile clinic to visit.
"If there is a high amount of cases in a particular area and a low amount of vaccine uptick, we want to pinpoint some of those areas," said Branch.
They will post locations and links to sign up for appointments on the county’s website.
