

The group identified almost a half dozen of these incidents at retail pharmacies and hospitals in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. “But then we’re hearing about cases where they’re asked for social security, they’re asked for W2s, they’re asking for teacher certificates,” she said.

may be overestimated in this map because some non-residents who work in D.C. “The main issue we have been seeing is the extreme questioning,” Peterson said. Maryland has administered 1,394,725 first doses as of March 3.DC police officer found guilty of repeatedly sexually abusing a child “I just don’t think it goes far enough, I think, in order for things to truly be easy, every single vaccination site in the state of Maryland should schedule appointments through one state-run website,” Hazzard said. Hazzard, whose group turned him into an unintentional COVID-19 vaccine insider, supports the decision, saying it seems like a “step in the right direction,” but wishes it would go further. Hazzard said there have been conversations about the importance of outreach he and other volunteers encourage members to reach out to people they know who may not have a broadband internet connection or might just not feel comfortable using the internet or social media as a primary means of communication.Īcting Maryland Health Secretary Dennis Schrader announced in late February that the state has plans to open a centralized online portal for pre-registration at the three operational mass vaccine sites: a reversal from what he described as a potential “single point of failure,” during a meeting Feb.

If someone has a team of people helping them procure an appointment, they are at a much greater advantage than someone with minimal internet access who does not know about the group. 19 - does concern Brown as he worries it will only exaggerate the existing disparities between who can and cannot make vaccine appointments. The group has been a game-changer when it comes to scheduling vaccines, and strangers so willing to help one another has instilled in Nicholas Brown a much-needed sense of hope “it has restored my faith in humanity,” Brown said.īrown, who lives in Bowie, joined Maryland Vaccine Hunters less than a week ago, and in that time has helped between 10 and 15 people find vaccine appointments at present, he is assisting someone going through cancer treatment, he told Capital News Service.īut the group’s exploding popularity - an increase of nearly 35,000 members since Feb. But the group has kind of evolved into more of a COVID vaccine information clearinghouse,” Hazzard said. “The original purpose of my group was to connect people with pharmacies or with vaccination sites that had expiring doses. The group’s stated intent is purely “to get vaccines in arms,” and it does not outwardly criticize the state’s approach to vaccine distribution, but it has evolved into a pseudo-matchmaking service for people eligible to receive the vaccines, and people willing to help others make appointments. Hazzard read an article about another New Orleans-based group called the Nola Vaccine Hunters - the central goal of which is to help ensure no extra dose is left unused - and decided Maryland could use a similar resource.
#Maryland covid vaccine hunters registration
Business & Finance Click to expand menu.Įlliot Hazzard, a 25-year-old geographic information system technician living in Mount Airy, created the group out of concern over wasted vaccine doses and after noticing frustration about the decentralized nature of the state’s vaccine registration system.
