June 3, 2022
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Deidre McCabe, Director of Communications, 410-767-3536
Chase Cook, Deputy Director for Media Relations, 410-767-8649
PHOTO RELEASE: Maryland Primary Care Program celebrates successful COVID booster campaign statewide
More than 17,000 vaccine booster doses administered by clinicians as part of a statewide effort to boost COVID-19 protection against serious illness
Baltimore, MD—The Maryland Primary Care program (MDPCP) recently concluded a statewide COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Campaign, engaging with more than 500 primary care practices that serve more than 4 million Marylanders to encourage boosting protection against COVID with all recommended boosters. As a result of the initiative, more than 17,800 booster shots were administered to Marylanders to protect them against serious illness, hospitalization, and death.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maryland Department of Health has worked closely with providers statewide to facilitate convenient access to vaccinations, including boosters, for everyone eligible,” said Dr. Howard Haft, senior medical advisor of the Maryland Primary Care Program. “Primary care providers have been a driving force behind Maryland’s high vaccination rate, and we are grateful for their work with so many Maryland families.”
Dr. Howard Haft, senior medical advisor of the Maryland Primary Care Program, presented Crain Medical in Glen Burnie with a certificate to highlight the importance of vaccinations, including booster shots. From left to right: TJ Nairn, Haft, Veronica Hampton, Rekha Patolia, Dr. Dalijit Sawhney, Inderjit Sawhney.
To celebrate the success of the MDPCP booster campaign, and the importance of health care providers in the vaccination and booster effort, MDPCP leaders visited Crain Medical, a Glen Burnie family medicine practice that increased its rates of COVID-19 booster uptake by more than 37% as a result of patient education and outreach.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, MDPCP has supported primary care practices in their response efforts by providing access to essential resources, such as free personal protective equipment and point-of-care rapid tests. They were also leaders in the Primary Care COVID Vaccine Program, which has enlisted more than 700 primary care practices in all 24 jurisdictions in the state. Together, the adult and family medicine practices have administered more than 400,000 COVID-19 vaccines statewide since the vaccine program began in March 2021.
For more information on COVID-19 resources, visit covidLINK.maryland.gov.
To schedule a COVID -19 vaccination appointment, visit covidvax.maryland.gov or call the GoVAX Call Center at 1-855-MD-GOVAX.
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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.
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