Anne Arundel COVID Vigil To Remember Virus Victims As County Passes 1,000 Deaths

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — A Wednesday vigil will remember the 1,000 county residents who have died from COVID-19. Anne Arundel passed the "devastating milestone" this weekend, County Executive Steuart Pittman said.

"We will gather at The People's Park to honor the community members we have lost," Pittman said on Facebook. "[We will also] hear from their loved ones, and show support to those who are mourning and to the health care workers who have saved countless lives since the beginning of the pandemic."

The Annapolis event will start in the park, located at 44 Calvert Street, at 5:30 p.m. Pittman will speak along with Pastor Gay Green-Carden, the chair of the Inter-Faith Advisory Council. Residents who have lost their loved ones will also say a few words.

Locals are invited to attend in-person or virtually on:

• Pittman’s Facebook
• Arundel TV Live
• Channel 38 on Verizon
• Channel 98 on Comcast and Broadstripe

"I hope that you will take some time this week to remember all those we have lost, and do what you can to support our neighbors who are mourning," the county executive said.

Improving Metrics

Maryland's case rate has fallen to 12.07 new infections per day per 100,000 residents. That's down from the all-time high of 221.17 on Jan. 8. The case rate is still above its recent minimum of 11.16 reported on Nov. 5, 2021, and its overall low of 0.9 recorded on June 25, 2021.

The state's positivity rate has dropped to 3.78 percent, down from the high of 29.98 percent on Jan. 5. The percent positivity was as low as 2.91 percent on Nov. 4, 2021. The all-time low of 0.54 percent was recorded on June 28, 2021.

Maryland now has 715 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That's an improvement from the peak of 3,462 patients on Jan. 11. Hospitalizations are still up from the recent low of 490 registered on Nov. 14, 2021, and the record minimum of 97 posted on July 1, 2021.

The state has reported 13,679 COVID-19 deaths.

Marylanders can get tested by visiting COVIDtest.maryland.gov.

Vaccine Update

A total of 4,440,532 Marylanders are fully vaccinated out of a population of 6,177,224. About 98.05 percent of seniors, 95 percent of adults and 89.7 percent of residents 5 or older have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Maryland has also made some headway on the newest group eligible for the shot. About 43.7 percent of kids aged 5 to 11 have gotten their first injection since they were cleared for immunization in late October 2021.

The state has given 2,115,835 booster shots.

Maryland's infection and vaccine metrics are updated daily at coronavirus.maryland.gov.

Who's Eligible For First Doses

The Pfizer immunization is the only one with full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That clearance is good for residents 16 and up. Pfizer also has emergency use authorization for anybody aged 5 to 15 for their first two doses

The Moderna and Johnson & Johnson inoculations have emergency use authorization for locals 18 and up.

Emergency use authorization requires less FDA review than full approval, which is the golden stamp of support from regulators.

Who's Eligible For Boosters

Residents 18 and up who got the Pfizer inoculation can get a booster shot of any kind five months after their initial two doses. Locals 12 to 17 who got the Pfizer must also wait five months, but they are only eligible for the Pfizer booster.

Locals 18 and up must wait six months after their Moderna injections or two months after their Johnson & Johnson vaccines to get a booster shot. Once that time passes, they can get any booster they want.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended getting the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna booster, not the Johnson & Johnson. Experts still urged locals to get Johnson & Johnson's extra dose if Pfizer and Moderna are not available.

Maryland's booster shot guidance is posted here. The graphic below clarifies who is eligible for a booster.

RELATED:

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• Face Masks In MD Schools Likely To Be Optional Soon: Gov. Hogan
• Masks In MD Schools: Hogan Urges State Board To Lift Mandate
• MD COVID: Hogan Announces $2M In Booster Shot Lottery Prizes
• COVID Crisis Plans Lifted At Luminis Health's Maryland Hospitals

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