Maryland’s Eastern Shore will be the first location in the nation for federally operated mobile coronavirus vaccination units, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced.
Two mobile sites will offer vaccines to Marylanders living in distant areas or who are socially vulnerable within eight different counties, FEMA said.
The mobile vaccination sites are 32-foot trailers that consist of cold storage for vaccine doses and have the capacity to distribute at least 250 doses a day, according to the governor’s news release. Each vaccination site is expected to stay in a single location for a few days at a time.
Trained vaccinators and clinical staff from county, state and federal agencies will man the sites, and eligible residents can get an appointment through their county health department.
“We continue to expand our vaccine distribution network to maximize points of distribution in every jurisdiction, which will now include the nation’s first federally operated mobile vaccination units,” Gov. Larry Hogan said in an issued statement. “These federal units will complement the Maryland Vaccine Equity Task Force’s mobile clinics and help us get more shots into the arms of our most vulnerable populations.”
Target populations include:
– Those who work in manufacturing and food processing plants, specifically poultry facilities.
– Residents of minority and immigrant communities, including those who lack adequate transportation.
– Those who reside in small towns and enclaves.
“Throughout this entire vaccine mission, we’ve been fighting two enemies: a virus and the inequities it has caused,” said FEMA Region 3 Administrator Janice Barlow. “These mobile units will ensure that we reach the underserved in their neighborhoods, where they live, and bring us one step closer winning the war against COVID-19.”