MD COVID ICU Cases Under 150, Hospitalizations Under 700: Hogan

ANNAPOLIS, MD — As the coronavirus surge continues to wane in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday that hospitalizations from COVID-19 have dropped to less than 700 patients statewide, and less than 150 people are now in intensive care bed across the state.

The new low in hospitalizations is more than five times lower than the peak of omicron variant cases last month.

Hogan told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" last Sunday he believes the Maryland Board of Education will end its mask mandate for schools in the coming week.

"We lifted our statewide mask mandate last May, but the school systems — which are autonomous and have their own authority — I don't really have direct control over them. But we're recommending very strongly that they lift it," the two-term Republic governor said. "I believe our schools, our State Board of Education, is going to act in the next week or so, to move forward and take masks off the kids."

COVID benchmarks Hogan shared:

Hospitalizations: 677, ICU: 136. Maryland’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are now less than one-fifth of the omicron peak of just below 3,500. Overall, hospitalizations have declined by 80.3 percent.

Positivity Rate: 3.51 percent. Since peaking last month just below 30 percent, Maryland’s COVID-19 positivity rate has declined by 88.2 percent. The state is reporting the lowest positivity rate in the United States.

Case Rate: 11.9/100K. Maryland’s COVID-19 case rate has declined by nearly 95 percent, and the state continues to report the country’s lowest case rate.

Official data is available at coronavirus.maryland.gov.

Second VaxCash 2.0 Drawing Next Week. State officials are encouraging Marylanders to get their booster shot in the coming days to be eligible for next week’s $50,000 drawing for the Vax Cash 2.0 Promotion. To date, the state has administered more than 2.1 million booster shots.

Maryland will give away $2 million in prizes to residents who have gotten the COVID-19 booster shot. The first drawing was Feb. 15; the winner will collect $500,000, and has not yet been announced.

In weeks two through 11, winners will get $50,000. The week 12 winner will receive $1 million.
The booster shot incentive, called VaxCash 2.0, is the second installment of a similar effort that promoted the initial doses last year. All boosted adult Marylanders will automatically be entered into this promotion.

VaxCash 2.0 will award one weekly prize for 12 straight weeks. The Maryland Lottery will handle the drawings, which are all random. The Maryland Department of Health will contact the winners.

Related: MD COVID: Hogan Announces $2M In Booster Shot Lottery Prizes

Hogan criticized the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for confusing guidance on virus protections and delayed decision-making. Most of the country's governors support lifting COVID restrictions and finding a way to live with the virus.

"The kids have suffered so much, and I think the CDC will likely have to take action," Hogan said.

COVID-19 Cases, Vaccination Sites This Week

The Maryland Department of Health will offer COVID-19 vaccinations at state testing sites this week.

"Booster shots take your protection against COVID-19 to a different level and dramatically reduce your risk of getting severely ill, being hospitalized, or dying from COVID-19," said MDH Secretary Dennis R. Schrader in a news release. "Many of the existing state-run COVID-19 testing sites, which were instrumental during the omicron surge, will also serve as locations where Marylanders can get booster shots to maintain their immunity against COVID-19."

Seven of the state's existing COVID-19 sites will offer booster shots:

• Lifebridge Health Northwest Hospital in Randallstown, starting on Feb. 17: open Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• MedStar St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown, starting on Feb. 17: open Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• UM Shore Medical Center at Easton, starting on Feb. 18: open Thursdays and Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• UM Upper Chesapeake Hospital in Bel Air, starting on Feb. 19: open Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, starting on Feb. 20: open Sundays and Mondays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital (located at Babe Ruth Field, Gibbons Commons) in Baltimore City, starting on Feb. 20: open Saturdays and Tuesdays, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• University of Maryland Medical Center main campus in Baltimore City, starting on Feb. 22: open Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

In addition, three state-supported sites already offer booster shots:

• State Center Vaccination and Testing Site in Baltimore City: Vaccines available Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to noon
• UM Capital Region Medical Center (located at City of Praise Family Ministries in Landover): Vaccines available Monday through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Lakeforest Mall in Gaithersburg: Vaccines available Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sundays, 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.