Notes From Governor Hogan’s 8/5/21 Press Conference

Notes from Governor Hogan’s 8/5/21 press conference (most notes courtesy of Kata D. Hall)

• VACCINE UPDATE:

-77.9% of Maryland adults are vaccinated
-93.4% of Maryland seniors are vaccinated
-Maryland continues to sustain a daily vaccine rate of more than 11,000 shots per day

• Florida, Texas, and Louisiana are accounting for 1/3 of all new cases.

• COVID DATA UPDATE:

-Hospitalizations down 83% from their peak
-Deaths down 94% from their peak
-4th lowest positivity rate in the nation

• Delta variant is much more serious than original virus or any variant.

• DELTA VARIANT:

-2-4 times more contagious than the original virus
-Accounts for nearly 100% of new sequenced cases in Maryland
-May cause more severe illness than earlier variants

• VACCINATION PROTOCOLS FOR STATE EMPLOYEES. Effective September 1, state employees working in congregate settings will be required to show proof of vaccination OR adhere to strict masking requirements and submit to regular #COVID19 testing.

• Read the @MDHealthDept order on state employee vaccination protocols: health.maryland.gov/phpa/Documents…

• NURSING HOMES. The governor urges private operators of the state’s 227 nursing homes to institute similar vaccination requirements for employees.

We are seeing an uptick in unvaccinated staff infections, which was a source of earlier outbreaks among nursing home residents.

• MASKING. @MDHealthDept continues to strongly recommend that unvaccinated individuals wear a face covering in indoor settings and situations where physical distancing cannot be maintained.

• Each childcare facility, youth camp, local school system, and authority may set their own policies regarding masks and face coverings.

The state is *not* imposing any new restrictions or mandates at this time.

• VACCINE EFFECTIVENESS:

-Less than 0.01% of fully vaccinated Marylanders have been hospitalized
-Less than 0.001% of fully vaccinated Marylanders have died
-99.99% of fully vaccinated Marylanders have remained free of serious illness

• @GovLarryHogan: “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…”

• 9a) “…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.”