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Shade Calls on Hogan to prioritize vaccine for Allegany County’s frontline healthcare workers and correctional officers

December 3rd, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Allegany County Commissioners President Jake Shade is calling on Governor Larry Hogan to prioritize vaccine for Allegany County's frontline healthcare workers and correctional officers

Text of letter below and PDF of letter attached

December 3, 2020

 

Governor Lawrence J. Hogan

100 State Circle

Annapolis, MD 21401

 

Dear Governor Hogan, 

 

As your administration indicated earlier this week, decisions will be made imminently regarding the prioritization and distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in the State of Maryland.  

 

On behalf of the residents of Allegany County, I respectfully request that all frontline healthcare workers and correctional officers in Allegany County be included in the first round of vaccines distributed by the State of Maryland.  

 

As you are aware, after being mostly spared from infections during the spring COVID-19 surge, we have not been so fortunate during these last weeks.  As we begin the month of December, Allegany County remains the jurisdiction with the highest positivity percentage and case rate per 100,000 residents in the state.  

Our testing capacity has dramatically improved with the addition of the free state testing facility located at the Allegany County Fairgrounds.  With 48.2% of our residents tested, we have tested the highest percentage of people of all jurisdictions in Maryland. 

 

Still, our healthcare system is being strained by the surge of hospitalizations and Maryland correctional facilities in our county are being pressured to find staff to maintain operations. These situations can be resolved by giving priority to a region currently at the peak of this pandemic.  

 

Thank you for your time and attention to this request and your leadership during this trying time for the State of Maryland and the nation.

 

Sincerely,

 

Jacob C. Shade

President, Allegany County Board of Commissioners