'Focus On Equity' Vital In Vaccine Plan: Baltimore Mayor

Baltimore MD

05 February, 2021

7:17 PM

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BALTIMORE, MD — Leaders in Baltimore said Friday that positive signs have emerged over the past month in the fight against the coronavirus. Baltimore is seeing about 155 new cases of the coronavirus per day, which is a decrease of more than 30 percent since four weeks ago, according to Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzirasa. With more than 5,000 coronavirus tests a day being conducted in the city, Dzirasa said: "This number has remained relatively high" despite the introduction of vaccines in recent weeks. Hospitals still remain near capacity — with intensive care units at 88 percent capacity and acute care units at 87 percent capacity, according to Dzirasa. One metric has ticked up. "We've seen a slight increase in fatalities," Dzirasa said, with more than three deaths per day from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. In Baltimore City, officials say 806 people have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. There are 38,432 confirmed cases of the virus in Baltimore, the Maryland Department of Health reported Friday, Feb. 5. One measurement that reflects a promising shift in Baltimore City is its positivity rate. The city's coronavirus positivity rate is 3.5 percent, according to Dzirasa. "Baltimore has the lowest positivity rate, and we're down 52 percent over the last four weeks," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said at a virtual news conference Friday afternoon. "We are still seeing a downward trend." The state has an overall positivity rate of 5.94 percent on a rolling, seven-day average as of Friday, Feb. 5, according to the Maryland Department of Health, meaning Baltimore's is more than 2.4 percent lower. Maryland joins the rest of the nation in grappling with the shortage of the COVID-19 vaccine. "Vaccine demand is high right now," Dzirasa said Friday, stating 7.4 percent of the city's population has received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Dzirasa and Scott said they wrote a letter to the governor asking for help ensuring Baltimore residents would be prioritized at the mass vaccination site that opened Friday at the Baltimore Convention Center. While the mayor said he was "thrilled" about the new vaccination site, he said he did not believe it would meet the needs of more than 15,000 older adults, teachers in Baltimore City Public Schools and all who are eligible in Baltimore that have not been able to get the first dose. "Equity must be at the center of this conversation," Scott said. "We need focus on equity to ensure most vulnerable residents do not end up at the end of the line." Non-English speakers and older adults were at a disadvantage in the vaccination efforts, he said. "We have a system that prioritizes the most technologically savvy," the mayor added, noting the known "deep digital divide" in Baltimore. All providers offering the vaccine are doing so by appointment-only, according to the health commissioner, who said second doses were prioritized to ensuring the effectiveness of the vaccine. There are multiple ways to register interest in a vaccine: Call Maryland Access Point hotline — 410-396-2273 — to be connected to help.Local area hospitals and medical providers listed on coronavirus.maryland.gov, under Find a Vaccine, have created interest forms for vaccinations when they become available.Rite Aid: 4380 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore, MD 21215; 2801 Foster Ave., Baltimore, MD 21224Safeway: 2401 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218Giant Appointment-only vaccinations at the Baltimore Convention CenterBaltimore City Community College is only for second doses. The vaccine is free, and nobody will ask for credit card information over the phone, Dzirasa said. City officials say they are working to address disparities through a vaccine rollout plan that includes telephonic preregistration and mobile vaccination clinics. Baltimore plans to focus on targeting populations with the highest risk, starting with senior housing sites where 50 to 100 people will be vaccinated at a time. "Today we're launching our COVID-19 vaccination dashboard," Dzirasa said. "Our ability to dramatically change these numbers " is based on a change in the "unacceptable low supply" from the state, according to the mayor. Related: Baltimore Convention Center Mass Vaccination Site Opens Feb. 5Hospital Capacity In The Baltimore Area: Weekly UpdateMD Detects South African Variant Of CoronavirusHere's How Coronavirus Is Affecting Baltimore Nursing Homes