Thursday, October 31, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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A diverse suburb’s biggest pandemic challenge: Distributing the vaccine equitably

Ten months after a liberal, diverse suburb saw its first cases of the coronavirus, it faces what might be its most daunting task yet: distributing a protective vaccine to all 1 million residents. Lawmakers and health officials in Montgomery County, Md., which two years ago passed a sweeping racial equity bill, have emphasized the need to distribute the coronavirus vaccine according to “equity principles.”

Some Marylanders with health conditions can get vaccinated starting Monday. But who’s included?

Starting Monday, adults in Maryland who are hospitalized with certain health conditions will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to the Maryland Department of Health’s latest clinician guidance. But the list of qualifying conditions is short, and the news comes while vaccine appointments remain difficult to obtain. People who are not hospitalized but are diagnosed with these conditions won’t be able to be vaccinated until Phase 2 of the rollout.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
State Selects Four-Lane ‘High Occupancy Toll’ Design for I-495, I-270

After years of study, the Maryland Department of Transportation has chosen its “preferred alternative” for Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr.’s plan to expand portions of the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 in Montgomery County, the agency announced on Wednesday. MDOT selected Alternative 9, which will add four High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes — two in each direction — to I-495 between the American Legion Bridge and the I-270 spurs, and to I-270 between the Beltway and Interstate 70 in Frederick.

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