U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen briefed Frederick County delegation members on coronavirus distribution and heard from multiple local delegates and senators about post office troubles during a meeting Friday.
Van Hollen (D-Md.) said the coronavirus relief bill Congress passed in December provided $400 million to Maryland for vaccine distribution and personal protective equipment, but he acknowledged a challenge right now is a limited supply.
Del. Karen Lewis Young (D-Frederick), chair of the delegation, asked about that issue Friday.
Van Hollen said if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves a single-dose vaccine from Johnson and Johnson, that could lead to another 100 million doses this year.
Along with the single dosage, the new vaccine would not need to be stored in ultra-cold temperatures like the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines, Van Hollen said.
He later added that another issue facing federal lawmakers right now is a lack of transparency about how vaccine distribution is working through the private sector and hospitals, versus local health departments.
The private sector appears to be distributing the vaccine to different groups of people than the county health departments, he said.
“The challenge for our local county health departments is they put up their plans for distribution, and to the extent that some of that [vaccine] gets diverted through the state to a different system … we need to first have more transparency about where all the vaccines are in the state distribution system,” Van Hollen said.
He also heard from multiple delegation members about mail service delays in Frederick County. Del. Jesse Pippy (R-Frederick and Carroll) asked the initial question, but other delegation members echoed Pippy’s comments.
They mentioned the fact that the mail is being processed in Baltimore, which is experiencing significant staffing shortages and other challenges, the Baltimore Sun reported in December ahead of the holidays.
Van Hollen said he’s personally experienced some challenges with mail delivery. He said it was “not acceptable” that county residents and Marylanders were dealing with such lengthy delays.
The senator said he and colleagues were in the process of drafting a letter to the U.S. Postal Service to figure out how to address the issues.
He, Pippy and others highlighted the need for improved mail service in order for county residents to receive medication, pay bills and complete other tasks.
Alcohol bill approved
Delegation members approved an alcohol bill that allows businesses with a Class A liquor license to sell small tastings of beer, liquor and wine inside their liquor stores.
Pippy, a former member of the county liquor board, worked on and supported the change because of how it would help small businesses, especially during the pandemic. The entire delegation—absent of Del. Carol Krimm (D-Frederick), who stepped out to complete committee work—agreed.
The delegation tabled a bill that would allow restaurants and bars to remove some tables out of their restaurants. Some members felt because of the uncertainty given the pandemic and other conditions of the bill, it would be better to visit the issue at a later date and perhaps a different legislative session.
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