Support Is On the Way

Maryland Delegation Members Announce More Than $400 Million to Expand COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution, Tracing and Testing

By Cecil Merkerson, III

Fighting COVID-19 is still at the forefront of the minds of Maryland senators as they have announced that the Department of Health will receive $402,607,440 in federal funding.

The funds the department will receive will be to bolster efforts in COVID-19 vaccine distribution, contact tracing, and testing capacity.

Names to be credited for gaining this funding are Congressman Steny H. Hoyer, Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, and Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Anthony G. Brown. Jaime Raskin and David Trone.

A breakdown of the funding includes $347,979,565 to expand testing, contact tracing and other efforts to slow down and stop the spread of COVID-19. $54,627,875 of which will be to support Maryland’s vaccine distribution efforts.

“This new federal funding will help ensure that more residents of Maryland get the COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible, and it will also increase the state’s testing and contact tracing capabilities,” lawmakers said. “Team Maryland will keep pushing to secure additional federal dollars to bring the virus under control and stop the spread of the disease.”

This comes when significant changes are to be made to legislative and executive branches as 2021 will see, many different policies change as the Democrats take power in government over the Republican Party.

The money given to the state is authorized courtesy of Congress through the Coronavirus Relief Appropriations Act. The funding will come from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.