Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is touting the state’s coronavirus vaccination rate for residents 65 and older, saying 95% of that age group has now received at least one dose of a vaccine.
“As one of the most vaccinated states in the country, we continue to achieve significant milestones and outpace the national rates across the board, and we are much better prepared to withstand the delta variant,” the Republican governor said in a statement Tuesday, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Getting first shots in arms — especially among our most vulnerable populations — continues to be our primary mission. The vaccines are very safe, very effective, and they are widely available through pharmacies, primary care providers, and mobile clinics across the state.”
Hogan has called for the federal government to making booster shots immediately available for seniors and vulnerable populations, advancing FDA approval of vaccines and hurrying the approval process for vaccines for people ages 5-11, WJLA-TV (Channel 7) reported.
The governor, a cancer survivor, said last month he has already gotten a booster shot himself on the advice of his doctors.
As of Wednesday, Maryland has administered about 7.6 million vaccine doses, according to a state-run tracker. Roughly 3.8 million residents, or about 62% of the total population, is now fully vaccinated.