Gov. Larry Hogan’s change of direction this week on the workability of registering people for vaccines on a single site is a sign that more change is possible.
The governor, not one to freely admit when he is wrong, should figure out a way to get to yes on this question. A single site for all sources of the vaccine is clearly needed.
The most frustrating experience for Marylanders right now is signing up for a shot, and it shows. The state is among the worst at getting vaccines into arms. The current whack-a-mole method — keep hitting those websites and phone numbers, folks — is not going to get the state where it needs to go.
It is particularly important to fix this now because the pace of vaccine production and the supply is about to quicken. The state needs a way to prepare for vaccination of increasingly larger subgroups.
Unfortunately, the change announced by Hogan this week is only a modest one. The state will launch a pre-registration site sometime next month, but only for the state mass vaccination clinics in Baltimore, Prince George’s County and soon in Charles County.
That means residents will still be advised to hit the lists at pharmacies, health centers, hospitals and other sites, including Anne Arundel County run clinics at Anne Arundel Community College and Live! Casino & Hotel. On Sunday and Monday, The Capital reported on resources for how to do that if you don’t have access to the internet in both English and Spanish.
This reluctance to have a single sign-up is hard to understand for a couple of reasons. Maryland controls the flow of doses from the federal government, except those going into nursing homes through private pharmacies. Using that spot in the supply chain seems like a natural strategy to ensure its efficient distribution.
And other states, admittedly far different than Maryland, are having great success with single registration sites.
Exactly one month ago today, West Virginia became the first state to set up a single registration site using a tool designed by the private firm Everbridge. Residents sign up to get real-time updates and then make an appointment once their turn arrives.
That sounds similar to what Maryland is about to launch, but only for the state mass vaccination sites.
Although Maryland has disbursed more than 1.1 million doses, it ranks 41st out of 50 states and the District of Columbia for the number of doses administered per 100,000 residents, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It’s possible Hogan is worried about the history of Maryland IT flubs. There was the bollocked rollout of the state’s insurance program under Obamacare, which Hogan used to vault over Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown into the Governor’s Mansion. And the state’s Beacon One-Stop system for unemployment insurance still leaves some users in limbo.
But universal pre-registration does not seem out of reach, given the experience in West Virginia. Maryland’s neighbor is less than a third its size but has plenty of digital gap problems this state does not, including a large population of elderly residents without access to the internet.
Under the head of the West Virginia National Guard, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, the state has augmented its online efforts with a phone line — simple yet effective. In other words, the state can solve this problem with creativity.
Maryland must do better at distributing the vaccine, and a single registration effort is an obvious solution.
Gov. Hogan, find someone who can do this, call the national guard or ask the general in Charleston for advice.
It’s time to make a change.
