Covid-19 vaccination sites on the Eastern Shore are expanding as pharmacies at local Walmart stores begin offering shots to people in the designated priority groups.

Sam’s Club in Salisbury along with Walmart stores in Salisbury, Fruitland, Pocomoke City, Berlin, Cambridge and Denton are among the 150 stores across a dozen states and territories that will be offering vaccination clinics, the company said in a news release.

The vaccine is available only to people in state-designated priority groups, not for the general public.

Maryland is currently in Phase 1C which includes people ages 65 to 74, public health and safety workers not covered in Phase 1A, essential workers in lab services, food and agriculture production, manufacturing, the U.S. Postal Service, public transit and grocery stores.

Anyone on Phase 1B, which includes people 75 years and older, people in assisted living, group homes, high-risk incarcerated individuals and schoolteachers, are still eligible to sign up for vaccinations.

Walmart and Sam’s Club are expected to launch online schedulers this week, so eligible populations can sign up directly from the website. Until then, patients wanting to schedule appointments or those confirming they qualify within designated priority groups should visit covidlink.maryland.gov.

Gov. Larry Hogan announced recently that other pharmacy chains, including Rite Aid, are expected to begin offering vaccinations in underserved areas.

So far, the Rite Aid in Princess Anne is the only store on the Eastern Shore to offer Covid-19 vaccinations, according to Chris Savarese, director of public relations for the pharmacy chain. Maryland health officials designated which stores would offer the vaccine as well as how many doses they will receive, he said. Four more Rite Aid pharmacies in Baltimore also were selected as vaccination sites.

As of this week, there will be 51 retail pharmacies providing vaccinations statewide, and that number will increase as the state receives more supply. The state will also partner with pharmacies to stand up mobile clinics in hard-to-reach areas, according to the governor. 

Last week, President Joe Biden announced the federal government would boost vaccine deliveries to the states by 16 percent.

As of Tuesday, Maryland providers have administered 553,733 Covid-19 vaccines, and 79.1 percent of all first doses have been given. The average daily rate of shots administered is 22,439—a 64 percent increase over the last two weeks. While the vaccination rate continues to increase, supply from the federal government remains extremely limited.

Beginning this Friday, the state will open a series of mass vaccination sites to serve eligible residents. The first mass sites are set to open at the Baltimore Convention Center and Six Flags America in Prince George’s County. Announcements will be made as appointments become available.

Local hospitals and health departments are also holding vaccination clinics. Use covidvax.maryland.gov to find a provider near you, or call 211 for assistance. Vaccinations are by appointment only, and some providers may allow you to pre-register.

Through the federal long-term care program, CVS and Walgreens continue to conduct vaccination clinics at Maryland nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Every week, state health officials ensure that each jurisdiction receives an equitable share of vaccines by population across all local providers, including hospitals, neighborhood pharmacies, and county health departments. More than 100 active providers are listed on covidvax.maryland.gov. Vaccinations are by appointment only.

Case numbers

As of Tuesday, Feb. 2, Wicomico County has had 6,371 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 128 deaths.

The patient count in Somerset is now 2,261 with 26 deaths.

Additional cases have also been confirmed in Worcester County, which now reports 3,085 people as having the virus and 77 deaths.

Dorchester County counts 2,106 cases with 36 deaths. There are 1,902 reported cases in Caroline County with 16 deaths.

Statewide in Maryland, 356,541 cases have been confirmed, with 7,012 confirmed deaths and 176 probable deaths. The current hospitalization totals of people with the virus stands at 1,467, with 366 in intensive care.

Across Maryland, more than 2.8 million people have tested negative for the virus.

Nationally, there are now more than 26 million cases with 443,636 deaths.