{"id":5427,"date":"2021-04-03T18:43:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-03T18:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/?p=5427"},"modified":"2021-08-03T10:39:04","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T10:39:04","slug":"maryland-national-guard-administers-more-than-100k-covid-19-vaccines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/2021\/04\/03\/maryland-national-guard-administers-more-than-100k-covid-19-vaccines\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland National Guard Administers More Than 100K COVID-19 Vaccines"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50902128536_d32b9e8d0f_k-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50902128536_d32b9e8d0f_k-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50902128536_d32b9e8d0f_k-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50902128536_d32b9e8d0f_k-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50902128536_d32b9e8d0f_k-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50902128536_d32b9e8d0f_k.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap wp-block-paragraph\">As of April 3, 2021, Maryland National Guard members have administered more than 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots to Maryland citizens since early January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The MDNG has reached this milestone with only 120 Soldiers and Airmen physically administering the vaccinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Maryland National Guard has achieved this milestone \u2013 nearly five percent of all vaccinations administered across the entire state \u2013 with about 100 activated vaccinators,\u201d said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Benjamin Posil, MDNG liaison for the Maryland Department of Health. \u201c[It] is truly a testament to the competence and dedication of our personnel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50989611347_5a82b94435_k-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"5437\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50989611347_5a82b94435_k.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/50989611347_5a82b94435_k\/\" class=\"wp-image-5437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50989611347_5a82b94435_k-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50989611347_5a82b94435_k-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50989611347_5a82b94435_k-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50989611347_5a82b94435_k-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50989611347_5a82b94435_k.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"738\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50915979828_44174498a9_k-1024x738.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"5435\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50915979828_44174498a9_k.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/50915979828_44174498a9_k\/\" class=\"wp-image-5435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50915979828_44174498a9_k-1024x738.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50915979828_44174498a9_k-300x216.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50915979828_44174498a9_k-768x553.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50915979828_44174498a9_k-1536x1106.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50915979828_44174498a9_k.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"732\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890872748_8ea00f6547_k-1024x732.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"5431\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890872748_8ea00f6547_k.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/50890872748_8ea00f6547_k\/\" class=\"wp-image-5431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890872748_8ea00f6547_k-1024x732.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890872748_8ea00f6547_k-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890872748_8ea00f6547_k-768x549.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890872748_8ea00f6547_k-1536x1097.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890872748_8ea00f6547_k.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are more than 1,000 Guard members supporting mobile vaccination support teams, mass vaccination sites, and testing sites across 11 counties and Baltimore City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The MDNG has played key roles in establishing and operating mass vaccination sites at Six Flags America, Regency Stadium, M&amp;T Bank Stadium, Wicomico Youth and Civic Center, and Hagerstown Premium Outlets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50949510018_92093f3bc0_k-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5436\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50949510018_92093f3bc0_k-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50949510018_92093f3bc0_k-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50949510018_92093f3bc0_k-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50949510018_92093f3bc0_k-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50949510018_92093f3bc0_k.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to administering vaccines and supporting vaccination sites, the MDNG has facilitated more than 60,000 COVID tests, averaging 900 self-swab tests daily at sites across the state. Guard members walk civilians through the process of administering the self-administered test, reducing the burden on local medical systems and necessitating fewer civilian medical personnel to be present at the test site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Simultaneously, U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Janeen Birckhead, commander of the Maryland Army National Guard, has been performing community outreach as a part of her assignment as the Vaccine Equity Task Force leader. She has met with many community leaders to inform and connect their communities with state and local resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThat task force is working with the health department, local community figures, and the Maryland Department of Health to ensure equitable distribution of vaccine to underserved communities, rural communities, communities of color, and communities where we are seeing hesitancy in taking the vaccine,\u201d Birckhead said during a recent interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"http:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890881098_34a8dfbbd3_k-1024x684.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890881098_34a8dfbbd3_k-1024x684.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890881098_34a8dfbbd3_k-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890881098_34a8dfbbd3_k-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890881098_34a8dfbbd3_k-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/18\/2021\/03\/50890881098_34a8dfbbd3_k.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the mountains to the shore, the MDNG remains committed to supporting COVID testing and vaccination efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201c\u2018Normal life\u2019 remains on hold because of the virus,\u201d said Posil. \u201cHaving a leading role in helping to shape the employment of the Maryland National Guard\u2019s resources to mitigate and ultimately eliminate the cause of this has been both a career and personal highlight.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On April 3, 2021, Maryland National Guard members have administered more than 100,000 COVID-19 vaccine shots to Maryland citizens since early January.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":5293,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-media-advisories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5427","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5427"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5427\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5752,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5427\/revisions\/5752"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5293"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5427"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5427"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5427"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}