Pages - All Marylanders 6 months and older now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine

June 20, 2022

Media Contacts:

Deidre McCabe, Director of Communications, 410-767-3536

Chase Cook, Deputy Director for Media Relations, 410-767-8649

All Marylanders 6 months and older now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine

COVID-19 vaccines for Marylanders 6 months and older to begin arriving in state today

Approximately 358,000 Maryland children in new eligible age group

Providers directed to make vaccine available immediately

Baltimore, MD—The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today announced that all Marylanders 6 months old and older are now eligible to receive a primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine. On June 18, 2022, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) authorized Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for children 6 months old and older. The vaccines should begin to arrive in Maryland today and will be available throughout the state starting tomorrow.

“We welcome having COVID-19 vaccines to help protect our youngest Marylanders against severe illness, hospitalization, or even death from this virus and strongly encourage parents to vaccinate their children,” said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. “We have been preparing to receive these COVID-19 vaccines and, utilizing our vast network of pediatricians, family practitioners, federally qualified health centers, pharmacies, and local health departments, will begin distributing them equitably across the state right away.”

“The long-awaited next opportunity to protect Maryland’s youngest children against COVID-19 is here,” said MDH Deputy Secretary for Public Health Services Dr. Jinlene Chan. “If families have any questions, I urge them to discuss the benefits of vaccinating their children against COVID-19 with their child’s health care provider. I also encourage them to vaccinate and boost all of their eligible family members as soon as possible.”

Today, MDH also issued a bulletin directing vaccine providers to immediately make the COVID-19 vaccines available to Marylanders 6 months and older.

Marylanders can schedule a COVID-19 vaccination appointment by visiting covidvax.maryland.gov or calling the GoVAX Call Center at 1-855-MD-GOVAX.

For more information on COVID-19 resources, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.

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The Maryland Department of Health is dedicated to protecting and improving the health and safety of all Marylanders through disease prevention, access to care, quality management and community engagement.