GREENBELT, Md. — A new community mass vaccination site in Prince George’s County opened Wednesday at the Greenbelt Metro Station.
The clinic is fully operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and is the only nationally operated site in Maryland.
State and local leaders applaud the clinic opening as a step toward making vaccine distribution more equitable.
The community vaccination site at the Greenbelt Metro has the capacity to give out up to 3,000 doses per day.
The FEMA-operated site is part of the agency’s community vaccination centers pilot program.
It is in the parking lot outside of the Metro station which makes it easier for people without cars to get access to the COVD-19 vaccine.
Metro has put up signs throughout the station to help direct people where to go and is providing free parking for people coming to get the shot.
Maryland Health Secretary Dennis Schrader told WUSA9 the new site helps move the state in the right direction toward its vaccination goals.
“We’ve got two priorities – speed and equity,” he said. “So, speed means as we get doses, we are going to put those doses in arms. Equity means we’re finding the people in underserved areas, minority groups and getting them the vaccination. So, it is a two-pronged priority.”
The location of the new site is significant because Prince George’s County has the lowest immunization rates in Maryland.
The Greenbelt clinic hopes to serve people living in and around the community.
The state plans to have a total of 13 mass vaccination clinics opened by the end of April.
All Marylanders who are 16-years-old and older are now eligible to get the vaccine.
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