Watch: Governor Hogan Provides Updates on Maryland’s Coronavirus Response, Vaccine Distribution Plan on Good Morning America

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we’ve still got some pain to go through before we get this under control.”

ANNAPOLIS, MD—This morning, Governor Larry Hogan joined ABC’s Good Morning America to share updates on Maryland’s preparedness efforts as the nation anticipates a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Maryland’s draft vaccination plan submitted to the CDC can be found here. 

(Watch)

Excerpts

“Our plan, which we submitted to the CDC, prioritizes the most vulnerable, so our front line healthcare workers, our nursing homes, then first responders, and as they come in, we just start working our way down that pyramid of a list. And so we’re hoping to get maybe 300,000 [vaccines] by the end of December and then hopefully it’s going to really ramp up from there as production starts to accelerate.”

“I’ve been critical when I thought that things weren’t going well at the federal level, [but] I think Operation Warp Speed is a tremendous success, and all the communication we’ve had with the people at the federal level has been great, and they’ve got a good plan, I think, in getting these distributed. The question is just how fast can we get these vaccines out there to cover as many people as we can.”

“Sadly, the darkest days are yet ahead…the worst part of this virus is still coming in the weeks and maybe the month or two to come. And we’re not going to have enough [vaccines] for everybody, so we’re just asking for patience. The good news is the cavalry is on the way. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we’ve still got some pain to go through before we get this under control.”