Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said Sunday he has received a third shot of the coronavirus vaccine and is eager for federal health officials to clear the way for residents to get booster shots, too.
Appearing on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Hogan, a cancer survivor, said he received the third shot on the “strong advice” from his doctors.
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Public health experts are encouraging people with weakened immune systems to get the additional shot, after the Food and Drug Administration authorized extra doses of two widely used vaccines for immunocompromised people.
“I got it on Monday, I feel great,” Hogan told CBS’s Major Garrett.
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The governor said he is urging federal health officials to give states permission to move ahead of the originally scheduled Sept. 20 marker for allowing booster shots. He argued that Maryland is ready to start doling out the next round of shots almost immediately, not a month from now.
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“We can’t wait that long,” he said. “We’ve been pushing the federal government .？.？. to speed up that time frame because we’re already preparing in our state to do boosters for our nursing home residents and vulnerable populations. We want to get that final okay from the federal government.”
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced plans to make booster shots available to people who received doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, pending reviews by the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those Americans will be eligible for a booster eight months after the date when they got their second vaccine dose. Health officials say they are waiting for additional data before clearing people who received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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The need for booster shots has come into clearer focus as public health experts agree it could help combat the highly contagious delta variant, which has been linked to breakthrough infections in vaccinated people. Experts have said for months that a booster would also be necessary to shore up immunity against the virus.
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Hogan boasted about Maryland’s standing in getting shots in arms. About 80 percent of adults over 18 in Maryland have had at least one dose, accounting for 67 percent of the state’s population as of Sunday, according to the latest data from the CDC tracker.
Maryland has experienced an 8 percent uptick in vaccinations in the last week, amid growing vaccination requirements by employers and the rise of the delta variant.
High community transmission of the virus is impacting Maryland, Virginia and D.C., which the CDC says have witnessed a weekly average of more than 100 cases per 100,000 people. According to the agency, Maryland has a weekly average of 114 cases per 100,000; the number is 195 in Virginia and 147 in the District.
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Asked whether he believed the pandemic was still under control in Maryland, Hogan said Sunday the state is faring better than most others.
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“We’re second-lowest case rate and positivity rate in America,” Hogan said, adding that the high vaccination rate is helping Maryland “keep the delta variant at bay.” All the same, “we’re very concerned about the spread of the delta variant.”
He announced last week that all nursing home and hospital employees in Maryland will be required to get vaccinated or get tested regularly for the coronavirus. State employees who work at prisons, hospitals and other congregate settings also face the same mandate.
Paul Kane contributed to this report.