House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County) has a new title: Maryland’s newest “GoVax Ambassador.”
The state Department of Health released a new television ad on Tuesday in which Jones urges Marylanders to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Now is the time to strengthen our defenses,” she says. “If we’re going to stop the spread of the virus, we need as many people vaccinated as possible.”
Jones also urges people with weakened immune systems to consult their physicians about a booster.
“By protecting ourselves, we can make everyone safer,” she adds.
In a statement, Health Secretary Dennis R. Schrader called Jones “a trusted voice throughout Baltimore County and across the state and we look forward to her helping us vaccinate Marylanders.”
According to covidactnow.com, 69% of Marylanders have had at least one vaccine, the tenth best rate in the nation and six points higher than the national average. Sixty-three percent are fully-vaccinated.
The health department’s growing list of vaccine “ambassadors” includes a cross-section medical experts, political figures and religious leaders.
Jones joins Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams, UMBC President Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, former bank executive Jacqueline C. Hrabowski, Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk (D-Prince George’s & Anne Arundel), state Senate President Pro Tem Melony G. Griffith (D-Prince George’s), former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. (R), Bishop Walter Scott Thomas of New Psalmist Baptist Church and Coppin State University Men’s Basketball Coach Juan Dixon, among others.