Lawmakers question state’s move to shift vaccine doses to pharmacies

Maryland is shifting small amounts of coronavirus vaccine doses to private pharmacies as state health officials prepare for what they hope will be increased shipments later in the spring. Acting Health Secretary Dennis Schrader said the decision was an effort to create a hybrid delivery system of private and government vaccination clinics. But the move to include a small number of private pharmacies including Walmart and Giant, mostly in western Maryland and the Eastern Shore, raised the ire of some lawmakers who say the decision is making it harder for people who have higher risks to get a shot.