Maryland dropping appointments at mass vaccination sites

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced Wednesday that the state will allow walk-in appointments at mass vaccination sites. 

In a statement released by the governor’s office, Hogan said that Maryland’s 13 mass vaccination sites are currently accepting walk-ups. The newest change is part of the state’s “No Arm Left Behind” initiative, according to the statement. 

“We are in a new phase of our vaccination effort where we are focused on making sure that no arm is left behind,” said Hogan, according to the release. “Walk-ups have been an incredibly successful tool, and we are now able to make them available at all of our mass vaccination sites across the state. The sooner we get more Marylanders vaccinated, the sooner we can put this pandemic behind us once and for all.”

Maryland has reported over 4.9 million total vaccinations in the state. Over 62 percent of people aged 18 and older and 85 percent of people aged 65 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to state collected data.

The news comes as states across the country have increase their efforts to make the coronavirus vaccine more accessible. Vaccination rates have decreased over the past few weeks, with experts attributing the decline to vaccine hesitancy and lack of access to appointments. 

President Biden on Tuesday announced a July 4 goal of 70 percent of adults in the U.S. receiving at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine. 

Other states such as New York have also expanded their vaccination efforts to include walk-ins at state-run mass inoculation sites.