ELLICOTT CITY, MD – Today, Governor Hogan joined Howard County Executive Calvin Ball for a tour of the newly opened mass vaccination site at The Mall in Columbia. The site is located in the former Lord & Taylor department store, with over 55,000 square feet of space dedicated to vaccinations and the capacity to vaccinate as many as 3,000 people per day. The site will operate from Wednesday to Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and will accept a minimum of 500 walk-up attendees per day. This week, the site will be administering the Pfizer vaccine. To make an appointment visit https://massvax.maryland.gov/ or call 1-855-MD-GOVAX. Photos can be found here.
This site is a great milestone and tool in our fight to end this pandemic. Eligible Marylanders can walk in and get vaccinated here at the Mall in Columbia, and we know that this central location between the Baltimore and Washington suburbs will be convenient for many people in our community. As always, I want to remind residents that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and getting a vaccine will help us save lives. Thank you again to the Governor, the State, our partners at the Mall in Columbia and Hudson Bay Company, and Centennial Medical Group for making this possible, we could not accomplish this without strong collaboration.
“The mass vaccination site at the Mall in Columbia is a perfect example of state, local, public, and private partners all coming together to benefit their community, and I thank County Executive Ball for helping us to make this site a reality,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “With Mother’s Day around the corner, anyone who still needs a vaccine should visit the mall to get a shot and pick up a gift for their mother.”
Howard County currently leads the state in percent of its eligible population vaccinated. To date, 73% of Howard County residents 16+ have received their first vaccine dose, and 53.4% of residents 16+ are fully vaccinated. 27% of Howard County residents who are eligible are not yet vaccinated. Howard County also leads in older adults vaccinated, with 82.5% of residents 65+ fully vaccinated, and nearly 91% receiving their first dose. Out of Howard County’s total population, including those who are not yet eligible to receive a vaccine, 54.2% have received their first dose and 42% are fully vaccinated.
“I am so thankful that Howard County is able to play such an important role in the State’s monumental and historic public health effort to vaccinate as many Marylanders as possible,” said Howard County Councilmember Deb Jung. “Here in the heart of Columbia, this site is an equity-focused location, within walking distance to communities of working Columbians, many of whom are front-line workers. I urge all of my constituents who have not yet been vaccinated to gather all of their friends and families, neighbors and strangers and come down to the mall to take advantage of this front-door service.”
“The mass vaccination site at the Mall in Columbia has been an incredible cooperative effort between the Mall, the property owner, the State, and County entities,” said Office of Emergency Management Director Michael Hinson. “Through this site we will have an opportunity to reach many populations in a place that is convenient and easily accessible. The site operates Wednesday through Sunday and is currently administering 1000 registered appointments per day and 500 walk ups, though that number can fluctuate from week to week depending on supply.”
“It was a privilege to accompany Governor Hogan and County Executive Ball on their tour of the Columbia Mass Vaccination Site,” said Centennial Medical Group Medical Director Dr. Arvind Narasimhan. “Centennial Medical Group is happy to assist the state and county in its mission to make healthcare accessible to all.”
“We’re constantly on the lookout for ways to support and give back to our community and The Mall in Columbia is proud to partner with the state of Maryland and Howard County on this incredibly important initiative,” said The Mall in Columbia General Manager Barbara Nicklas. “We’re thrilled that the site has officially opened and welcome our community to stop by to receive their vaccine.”