Notes From Governor Hogan’s Press Conference (Covid Update)

Governor Hogan is holding a press conference to provide a Covid update to Marylanders.

Below you’ll see notes from his press conference, as tweeted by his Deputy Communications Director, Kata Hall:

• VACCINE UPDATE:

-79.5% of Marylanders age 18 and older have been vaccinated
-94% of Marylanders 65 and older have been vaccinated
-Daily vaccination rate up 20% over last month

• COVID-19 DATA UPDATE:

-COVID hospitalizations are down 70% from their peak
-State remains far below any of the 3 pandemic triggers in our protocols
-Only 9% of current hospitalizations are COVID-related

• NURSING HOMES UPDATE:
-79% of staff at Maryland nursing homes have been vaccinated
-18 facilities are averaging above 95% for staff vaccination rates

• Our state dashboard will continue to highlight which nursing home facilities fall into these categories on a weekly basis.

• VACCINATION PROTOCOLS FOR NURSING HOME STAFF. Effective immediately, employees of Maryland nursing homes will be required to show proof of vaccination OR adhere to regular screening and #COVID19 testing.

All employees will be required to get their first shot by September 1.

• Nursing homes that fail to comply with these protocols and/or fail to report their vaccination data will be subject to increased fines, civil penalties, and additional enforcement actions.

• VACCINATION PROTOCOLS FOR HOSPITAL STAFF. Effective immediately, all employees of Maryland hospitals will be required to show proof of vaccination OR adhere to regular screening and #COVID19 testing.

All employees will be required to get their first shot by September 1.

• BOOSTERS. Following this morning’s announcement that boosters won’t be made more widely available until late September, @GovLarryHogan calls on the federal government to make booster shots available immediately for seniors and other vulnerable populations.

• ANTIBODY TESTING PROGRAM. In preparation for booster shots, Maryland has launched a new antibody testing program for nursing home residents to ascertain their current levels of immunity. The pilot program includes 500 residents.

• @GovLarryHogan calls for full FDA approval of #COVID vaccines as soon as possible. Calls it the “most significant hurdle to reaching those who are still hesitant.”

• With more and more children heading back to school, Governor Hogan also calls on federal officials to expedite approval for 5- to 11-year-olds to receive vaccines:

“We are told that this approval is still months away, but that is simply not soon enough or good enough.”

• MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY THERAPY. Thousands of Marylanders have already received monoclonal antibody therapy, which is the only approved and effective treatment for COVID-positive individuals who are symptomatic, but not yet severe enough to require hospitalization.

• Monoclonal antibodies have proven to be effective against the Delta variant, and state health officials are strongly recommending much wider utilization of them for patients with mild to moderate COVID symptoms.