Vaccine Or Tests Required For Some MD Workers: Hogan

ANNAPOLIS, MD — State employees working in congregate settings must get the coronavirus vaccine or undergo regular testing and masking, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Thursday. The policy takes effect Sept. 1, and it applies to workers at Maryland's:

• Department of Health and state health care facilities (11 locations)
• Department of Juvenile Services (12 locations)
• Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (24 locations)
• Department of Veterans Affairs (1 location)

The full order is posted at this link.

Hogan pushed the state's 227 nursing homes to adopt similar protocols, as staff infections are on the upswing. This was a source of resident outbreaks earlier in the pandemic.

No Statewide Mask Mandate

The governor did not impose any new face-covering rules. He said Tuesday that he was not considering reinstating a mask mandate.

Unvaccinated locals should wear face coverings in public indoor settings and other places where they can't physically distance, the Maryland Department of Health insisted.

Hogan reiterated that counties and school boards can create their own mask regulations. Several jurisdictions have taken him up on that offer.

Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County announced that they will require face coverings again. Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties all released mask mandates for their public school systems.

Anne Arundel County health officials on Wednesday advised the school board to require face coverings for all students and staff, regardless of their vaccination statuses. The board of education has not yet made its final decision.

Delta Variant Surges

The face-covering recommendations follow updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the delta variant spreads across the country. The CDC on July 27 urged residents, whether inoculated or not, to mask up "in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission."

Seventeen of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions fall into these categories, CDC data indicated. Locals can track transmission levels at this link.

"While the pandemic is currently under control in Maryland, the unfortunate reality is that COVID and its variants are going to be with us in one form or another for the foreseeable future," Hogan said at a press conference. "We need to continue to adapt, to take the right precautions, and to look out for one another, which is exactly how we have gotten through this pandemic together so far."

The delta variant accounts for nearly all the new lab sequenced cases in Maryland, the governor's office reported.

Vaccinees Who Test Positive

Immunized residents can still catch the coronavirus and its variants, but it is rare. Maryland informed that 3,836 fully vaccinated locals have tested positive. That is less than 0.12 percent of the inoculated population.

Though immunized Marylanders can still get sick, health officials are most concerned with severe illness. The state mentioned that 96 percent of all infections, hospitalizations and deaths since January have been among the unvaccinated.

Maryland frequently registered more than 50 deaths per day over the winter when inoculations were at a premium. Now, the state hasn't seen more than five deaths in a day since June 10.

The CDC nevertheless warned that immunized residents infected with the delta variant can still transmit the disease. That's because this variant is two to four times more contagious than others.

Cases among vaccinated residents will likely rise as more locals get the inoculation, Dr. Jinlene Chan of the Maryland Department of Health noted.

The state will start reporting post-immunization cases on its dashboard. The data will be updated every Wednesday.

(Story continues below tweet)

Numbers Update

Maryland's case rate has risen to 9.21 new infections per day per 100,000 people. That's down from its Jan. 12 peak of 53.39, but it's up from its recent low of 0.9 on June 25. This is the largest case rate since May 8.

The state's hospitalization total is also up to 337. Though that is less than the Jan. 12 high of 1,952, the state had 97 locals in the hospital as recently as July 2. This is the steepest count since June 3.

The positivity rate is similarly swelling. It has spiked to 3.64 percent, which is up from the all-time low of 0.54 percent registered on June 28. This is the steepest clip since May 5, but it's still below the overall maximum of 26.88 percent on April 17, 2020.

Nearly 78 percent of Maryland adults have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine. About 90 percent of the state's seniors have taken at least one shot.

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. Download our mobile application from the App Store or Google Play.

RELATED:

• Baltimore Orders Masks Indoors As Coronavirus Infections Surge
• Masks In AACPS: Health Officials Suggest Face Coverings For All
• 'Universal Masking' Required In Baltimore County Public Schools
• Masks Mandate Reinstated in Gaithersburg City Buildings
• Masks Required For All HCPSS Students, Staff, Visitors This Fall
• Masks Required In MOCO Schools, Regardless Of Vaccination Status
• Masks Required in Rockville City Buildings Again
• Masks Required For Prince George's Co. Public Schools This Fall

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.