June 29, 2021
Media Contact:
Deidre McCabe, Director, Office of Communications, 410-767-3536
Charlie Gischlar, Deputy Director, Media Relations, 443-463-7234
More than 21,000 Marylanders vaccinated by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs added to State vaccination data
Baltimore, MD — The Maryland Department of Health (MDH) today announced that, following a series of requests from the state to the federal government, more than 21,000 Marylanders vaccinated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Maryland are now accounted for in the state's vaccination data. This federal data, which had not previously been made available to states, now allows Marylanders vaccinated at VA facilities to be eligible for the Maryland Lottery's $2 Million VaxCash Promotion.
“We are thrilled that Marylanders vaccinated at Veterans Affairs facilities in the state are now accounted for in our vaccination data, and we applaud the federal government for granting this request so we can ensure our veterans have access to all of the benefits of vaccination," said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader. “We are beyond grateful for all of our veterans and can't thank them enough for further protecting our residents and the VA for providing us this data."
On June 27, the VA provided MDH with COVID-19 vaccination records for 21,389 individuals who were vaccinated at one of the 12 VA medical centers or outpatient clinics in Maryland. Prior to this, Maryland residents vaccinated at VA facilities were not registered as vaccinated in Maryland's Information Immunization System, ImmuNet.
MDH took immediate action to ensure that these records were assigned corresponding numbers and entered into the Maryland Lottery's random number generator system to ensure eligibility for the remaining VaxCash drawings. There are six $40,000 drawings remaining, in addition to the $400,000 grand prize drawing on July 4.
To date, Maryland has administered more than 6.8 million doses of life-saving COVID-19 vaccines. Nearly 75 percent of the state's 18 and older population has received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Maryland has also vaccinated 91.7 percent of residents 65 and older. Maryland ranks third in the nation for vaccinating the state's share of the Hispanic population and sixth in the nation for vaccinating the state's share of the black population.
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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. Follow us on Twitter @MDHealthDept and at Facebook.com/MDHealthDept.