Maryland to launch a centralized vaccine registration system for mass clinics

Maryland will unveil a single registration system for appointments at the state’s coronavirus mass vaccination sites. Officials anticipate the new centralized system will reduce competition for limited vaccine doses. Local health departments may opt in to the new system. During an oversight hearing on Monday, Maryland’s acting health secretary, Dennis Schrader, told state senators: “We expect that establishing a preregistration system will improve the user experience and better prepare for the day when supplies are very, very abundant.” Schrader also said the state will soon revise its scheduling system, PrepMod, to prevent people from sharing links to access immunization appointments. However, the centralized system has not met the expectations of some local leaders and the state’s federal delegation, because it applies only to a limited number of locations. It will not automatically replace individual scheduling systems for local health departments, hospitals, pharmacies, or health clinics that have so far distributed most of Maryland’s vaccine doses.