By SHIFRA DAYAK

WASHINGTON – Maryland is seeing a surge in COVID cases that mirrors national trends — and experts say it might continue as the state heads into respiratory disease season and as some residents take lax approaches to preventive measures.

The rate of reported COVID-19 cases in the state saw an uptick during September. Sept. 11 saw the highest recorded case rate in Maryland, with 6.64 cases per 100,000 people. Case rates have seen a gradual decline since then, but are still sitting above rates during the summer months.

Before last month, the last time that case rates in the state were above 5 cases per 100,000 residents was in March.

Data from the Maryland Department of Health shows that in September 2022, reported COVID-19 infection rates ranged from 12.08 to 17.06 cases per 100,000 residents. Case rates last month ranged from 4.54 to 6.64 cases per 100,000 people, meaning this year’s numbers look better than last year’s.

But Kate McPhaul, an associate research professor in the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health, said the prevalence of testing is lower now than earlier in the pandemic.

Amid the September surge, President Joe Biden’s administration also announced last week that it is appropriating $600 million to companies that produce COVID-19 testing kits to boost the number of tests manufactured in the nation.

The same day, the administration announced that all households in the country can request four free rapid-testing kits through covid.gov/tests. Free COVID-19 tests previously were available via mail from January 2022 until June of this year.

McPhaul warned that despite a resurgence in testing options, current case numbers may not be entirely accurate because fewer people overall are testing and milder cases have likely not all been reported to the state.

However, there’s a general indication that there has been a surge in recent weeks, including through anecdotal evidence, she said.

This fall surge indicates that COVID-19 could be showing signs of spiking seasonally, McPhaul said, but since it is still a relatively new virus, predicting its behavior is difficult.

In line with the surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths in Maryland have also increased between the start of summer and now, state health department data shows.

These upticks will likely continue in the coming months, according to Kristen Coleman, an assistant professor in the University of Maryland’s public health school.

Coleman said that reinstating preventive measures like masking and air filtration in public spaces, classrooms and more could help keep the surge at bay.

“I expect that (cases) will continue to climb,” Coleman said. “This fall, because of the uptick, I do see more people masking, but certainly not as many as in the beginning of the pandemic.”

A poll by the business intelligence company Morning Consult in May showed that only 24% of all United States adults were “very” concerned about COVID-19. It’s a number that’s steadily declined since the start of the pandemic. In April 2020, comparatively, 65% of adults told Morning Consult they were “very concerned.”

For McPhaul, this decline in concern is evident through a drop in people masking and seeking out the most recent booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

“People want the pandemic to be over with and to me right now, it seems like there’s a bit of a disconnect with the COVID rate going up. A lot of the behaviors that mitigate getting sick kind of don’t seem to be happening,” McPhaul said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in mid-September approved an updated COVID-19 booster vaccine that targets newer variants that have been fueling a rise in cases. But this booster has not been widely administered, McPhaul said.

Only 24% of Maryland’s population has received an updated bivalent booster vaccine at all, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Additional tracking shows that few residents in the region and nationally have received the most recent booster dose.

In addition to the case surge in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia also are seeing similar trends and similar attitudes when it comes to masking and vaccines.

Between the beginning of August and mid-September, Virginia’s Department of Health recorded an uptick in reported COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations for COVID-19. In all except four of Virginia’s 139 counties and independent cities, fewer than 25% of residents have received all the CDC-recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data from the department.

Numbers across the past month in Washington, D.C., also align with national trends. The rate of weekly reported cases per 100,000 city residents saw a steady uptick from 11.7 cases on Aug. 19 to 33.6 cases on Sept. 9, according to DC Health.

As cases may continue rising in the region, McPhaul encouraged area residents to think about preventive measures in their communities, including masking around high-risk individuals and getting vaccinated against respiratory diseases like COVID-19, RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and the flu.

“I think people just need to get that person in their head that they’re protecting,” she said. “All of that stuff that we were promoting during the pandemic can continue to be utilized in the prevention of all of the airborne infections.”

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Editor’s Note: This article is republished with permission from the Baltimore Post-Examiner.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore said if he is elected and is forced to deal with a harsh coronavirus resurgence this upcoming winter his administration will “follow the science” and make decisions without political considerations when crafting a plan to respond to the outbreak.

More than 1.2 million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the state and the positivity rate is above 7%, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Positivity rates of 5% or higher exceed what the CDC considers to be within the zone of effective containment.  More than 15,000 people in Maryland have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic.

“We are going to spend time with doctors and practitioners and scientists. We are going to get the best intelligence and the best data that they have about what is the threat,” Moore told Baltimore Post-Examiner in an impromptu interview earlier this week during a walking tour of downtown Frederick.

“I will be working in coordination with local jurisdictions to make sure that we are being transparent as a state about the information that we are seeing and the steps that we are going to take. But the number one priority that I am going to have is keeping our people safe. That is the number one job of any chief executive,” Moore added.

Asked if he would consider shutting down schools and businesses, as Gov. Larry Hogan did on the recommendation of scientists and medical authorities at the height of the pandemic in the spring of 2020, Moore reiterated that such a decision would be based on science.

“The goal and the objective is that we need to stay open. We need to keep our schools open and safe. We need to keep our businesses open and safe. We need to keep our communities open and safe. The objective is that we need to stay open. God forbid we ever get to a point that we are getting recommended for a full shut down. But while the objective is to make sure that we are staying open-the ‘and safe’ part is imperative as I make my calculation.”

Multiple attempts to get an interview with or comment from Moore’s Republican opponent, Del. Dan Cox of Frederick County, proved unsuccessful. Cox was a no-show last week for a scheduled phone interview with the Post-Examiner. His campaign spokesperson, Allie Rodriguez, said in a text she could neither reach nor locate the candidate. Subsequent requests were made following that incident.

Cox was present at a fundraiser former President Donald Trump held for the candidate on Monday at Trump’s home/resort Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Cox is a staunch supporter of the former president and has entertained conspiracy theories claiming Trump actually won the 2020 election.

On COVID-19, Cox and several other GOP state lawmakers unsuccessfully sued Hogan in 2020 over virus containment measures that the governor had put into place. Cox also launched an unsuccessful effort earlier this year to impeach Hogan for the same reason. Cox is adamantly opposed to COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Hogan was a strong supporter of Cox’s primary opponent, former state Commerce Secretary Kelly Schulz. Moreover, Hogan has not only refused to support Cox, but has called the candidate a “QAnon whack job,” and has even gone as far as saying that he would not even give the delegate a tour of the governor’s office.

A recent Washington Post/University of Maryland poll showed Cox trailing Moore by more than 30 percentage points. The poll also showed nearly a quarter of registered Republicans backing Moore.

But Cox is not without his supporters and many share his views on how to address COVID-19.

“I would trust Dan Cox to deal with a resurgence because he would rely on the individual’s ability to make the choices that are best for them and the way that they feel they can best safely live their lives,” Del. Brian Chisholm, R-Anne Arundel, said.

Chisholm, who sits on the Health and Government Operations Committee, added: “I think most people would acknowledge that the [reaction from the] Democratic Party and somebody like Wes Moore is going to be to shut everything down and let the government control and dictate what happens.”

Sen. Johnny Ray Salling, R-Baltimore County, echoed similar sentiments.

“He (Moore) wants to revert back to things that were in place when COVID was at a serious high and was very very serious at the time. I look at COVID now and we are past the point of masks, and past the point of where we were. So I trust Cox more than anybody else at the moment.”

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By Shannon Clark

ANNAPOLIS – Maryland residents are trickling into pharmacies across the state for the few available doses of the new and improved, epidemiologists say, COVID-19 vaccine.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, R, announced last week 157,600 doses of the booster will be administered to COVID sites across the state, but so far only a few facilities have the new medication.

Pharmacies at several Maryland Giant groceries have them, but officials at Walmart said they don’t expect to receive shipments until thed of the week. Kaiser Permanente, CVS and Walgreens locations also said they had not received doses at the beginning of the week.

The Maryland Department of Health suggests residents use the state’s COVID Vaccination Site Searcher to find the new booster nearby. More shipments will be ordered as “they become available from the federal government,” state health department officials said..

In Annapolis, Cindy Borchadt, a 61-year-old cancer survivor, was one of a handful of people waiting at the pharmacy at a Giant grocery Tuesday morning to get their booster.  Pharmacy officials said the store received 50 vials of the Pfizer and Moderna booster earlier that morning.  Prospective recipients filled out the required paperwork and then awaited their turn to go behind the privacy screen for a shot.

“So many people have let their guard down, and I don’t want to be the one to deliver the bug to my 80-year-old mother,” said Borchardt, a volunteer at Chesapeake Children’s Museum in Annapolis. “The research is saying that this is protecting you against the latest variant and at any moment we are in uncharted territory.”

Sitting in one of the black chairs spaced out in the pharmacy waiting area, Carolyn Gardiner, a 73-year-old retired broker, waited to receive her shot. Gardiner quickly signed up for an appointment after Hogan’s Friday press release and said she caught a ride down to her local Giant for the newest shot.

“I think it’s common sense to get the shot,” Gardiner said. “I want to live, and I want to enjoy life. So, I got my booster.”

David McCallister, public information officer for the Maryland Department of Health, and other health care officials recommend residents get the new booster because it will provide much greater protection from the current Omicron variant.

Unlike previous COVID shots, the new bivalent booster is a completely new version from the primary Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, specifically made to target Omicron and its variants, according to health care officials. The booster uses the two components found in the original COVID vaccines, one strain of SARS-CoV-2 and and a strain combining both BA.4 and BA.5 versions of the Omicron variant, according to the FDA.

Authorized as a single dosage shot, Maryland residents can receive the booster two months or later following the completion of their primary COVID vaccine series or previous booster shot. All adults can receive either the Pfizer or Moderna booster regardless of their initial vaccine series. Moderna, however, is not authorized as a booster for individuals younger than 18.

Dr. Gregory M. Schrank is assistant professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and associate hospital epidemiologist at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Schrank said the new vaccine is a dramatic improvement.

“This is really the first time in two years we’ve had a vaccine for COVID-19 that matches the virus that’s currently out there circulating,”  he said.

“Because this is the closest a vaccine has come to matching the variant that’s out there in well over a year and a half, I’m pretty optimistic that we’ll see a good response from people and that it will improve vaccine efficacy. I’m leaning on the optimistic side of how this one will perform out there.

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Maryland’s July 19 Republican primary for governor is expected to pit former labor and commerce secretary Kelly Schulz against Trump-endorsed Del. Dan Cox, with anti-tax perennial candidate Robin Ficker also on the ballot.

Schulz and Cox have both represented Frederick County’s District 4, but the similarities end there. While Schulz was a star of the Hogan cabinet, Cox has made hostility to Hogan and his record one of his main campaign themes, even attempting to impeach the popular governor in March for supposed abuse of office. That move fizzled a brisk six minutes later when it drew no backing from members of either party on the House Rules Committee.

Del. Cox has taken his claims of Hogan malfeasance to the courtroom, too. And that’s why it should not pass without notice that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in an unsigned May 9 ruling without oral argument, upheld the dismissal by federal judge Catherine Blake of a Cox lawsuit claiming that Hogan had overstepped the law and the constitution in his use of emergency health powers in the COVID-19 pandemic. That lawsuit, which was joined by two other Republican members of the Maryland General Assembly, now appears likely to end with a whimper absent a bid for what would truly be a long-shot Supreme Court review.

The suit was among dozens filed around the country challenging pandemic orders, and some of the others prevailed at least in part. So why’d this one fall entirely flat? The divergence owes something to the state of Maryland law, which gives governors relatively robust health powers, and something to the weaknesses in Cox’s particular approach.

On the latter, to begin with, Cox’s filing unwisely chose to deprecate the seriousness of what it called the “alleged on going catastrophic health pandemic.” (It had already killed more than 2,000 Marylanders at that point.) Judge Blake showed impatience, writing: “even if these assertions were true, the plaintiffs ignore the likelihood that the restrictions that were put in place reduced the number of deaths and serious disability the State has experienced.”

Unfortunately, that was of a piece with Cox’s public pronouncements throughout the pandemic, which have gone far beyond mere skepticism into anti-vaccine themes, medical howlers of many sorts, and conspiracy-tinged viral content (arrest Bill Gates? Really?). Early on in the pandemic Cox claimed that “up to 70–86% of the public already have or had coronavirus,” and told a radio audience that “ninety-nine percent of the population is not in danger with this virus.”

Then there were the signs of hasty lawsuit drafting, which couldn’t have helped. One subhead in the original filing cited “Irreparable Injury To Plaintiffs From Governor Northam’s Gathering Orders,” comically echoing a suit filed earlier in a different state – Virginia — against Gov. Ralph Northam.

Along with its basic claims, the suit was decked out with rhetorical flights and what you might call ambitious theories of constitutional law, such as that the orders had had the effect of depriving Marylanders of a republican form of government. As the appeals court noted last month, Cox’s subsequent briefing did not go on to argue the merits of many of these theories, leaving Judge Blake free to dismiss them without discussion.

Claims based on the U.S. Constitution were always going to be an uphill slog because of the 1905 Supreme Court case of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, under which the Supreme Court had broadly upheld state and local government authority to act against epidemics as part of what is called the police power. Both liberal and conservative high courts have left Jacobson to stand as good law, and there is little indication that that will change any time soon.

Some legal challenges against pandemic orders succeeded on the basis of a narrower claim of statutory (not constitutional) overreach: a court might rule that a governor, mayor, or agency overstepped the lawful powers granted by a legislature. But Maryland gives its governor broader power than many other states, both for reasons of policy and because our part-time legislature, unlike the full-time ones that sit in some states, cannot practically keep the executive on too short a leash.

The General Assembly was not about to reconvene every few weeks to vote 30-day extensions of approval for one or another order. The judge found Hogan had not overstepped Maryland law. (Note also that the most controversial policy of all, prolonged school closures in some parts of the state, was a decision made by county-level officials, not by the governor.)

The Fourth Circuit panel upheld outright the judge’s dismissal of most of the suit’s claims, but gave separate handling to the claims regarding churches. This made sense in part because the intersection of freedom of worship with public health powers has been the one relevant area in which the Supreme Court has chosen to reshape constitutional law over the course of the COVID-19 outbreak, strengthening the rights of worshippers. In the case of these claims, the Fourth Circuit declared them moot – the restrictions are gone now, so further litigation would be pointless – thus neatly sidestepping the need to predict exactly where the current Supreme Court would land on the question.

In other words, the parts of the suit that did not strike out, timed out.

Delegate Cox will undoubtedly continue to work the campaign trail making strongly worded claims about the U.S. and Maryland constitutions as he understands them. Just remember that the actual federal courts keep making it clear that his ideas about the Constitution are not theirs.

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While we all have high hopes for the new year, our country and state remain in the throes of COVID-19. The new omicron variant has spread quickly across Maryland, dominating total caseloads and setting hospitalization records. More people than ever are testing positive for COVID-19 and experiencing a wide range of symptoms—once again dangerously straining our healthcare system and those providing care.

The local pharmacy community remains on the frontlines in fending off this virus, providing COVID-19 tests, vaccines, and boosters and answering questions about this confusing disease. At the same time, pharmacies are managing their other responsibilities to keep Marylanders safe and healthy. Like other frontline professionals, pharmacists’ long shifts continue to strain their ability to provide care just when our communities are most counting on them as truly trusted and accessible care providers.

Knowing the role community and small chain pharmacies play for patients across Maryland and the country, pharmacy services administrative organizations (PSAOs) likewise continue stepping up to the plate. As administrative intermediaries, PSAOs were created to help small, community pharmacies navigate the ever-changing, ultra-competitive pharmacy reimbursement landscape. Now, more than ever, their roles are critically important to the livelihood of the pharmacy community.

About 80% of community and small chain pharmacies choose to be represented by a PSAO. Elevate Provider Network, for example, represents about 5,200 pharmacies across the United States, including many that operate here in Maryland. Pharmacists rely on PSAOs when dealing with complicated and every-changing pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health plan contracts or other burdensome administrative tasks that would otherwise take pharmacists away from patient care.

As COVID-19 continues to change the healthcare landscape and expand the role of pharmacies, PSAOs are helping them to adapt. Curbside pickup, testing, large-scale vaccines, home deliveries—PSAOs are supporting and streamlining all of these changes for our pharmacies in Maryland and across the country.

Unfortunately, because PSAOs work behind the scenes, few understand their critical role, and that lack of knowledge negatively influenced the 2020 legislative session. When passing HB 978, the Maryland General Assembly mistakenly conflated the role of PSAOs with PBMs. As written, certain aspects of the law now limit PSAO abilities to most effectively support pharmacy partners.

The truth is, PSAOs and PBMs play entirely different roles within the supply chain, and the legislation must be changed to reflect this important distinction. Unlike PBMs, PSAOs do not influence the price Marylanders pay for medications or a patient’s health benefit design. Instead, they are solely focused on creating efficiencies and relieving administrative burdens for pharmacies. A PSAO advocates for its member independent pharmacies and is aligned in their opposition to many abusive PBM practices that threaten independent pharmacists’ ability to provide frontline care. Ultimately, PSAOs serve pharmacists and patients by using their expertise to ensure pharmacists can stay at the counter serving patients instead of being stuck in a back office crunching numbers and filing paperwork.

As COVID-19 rages on and lawmakers head to Annapolis for the start of the 2022 legislative session, it is critical they keep public health—and those who are supporting it—top of mind in making decisions. This informed focus must include PSAOs. In this new year of hope, I encourage Maryland policymakers to learn more about these critical organizations and amend HB 978 to properly reflect the role PSAOs play. Our healthcare system, pharmacies and patients will be better for it now and into the future.

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Leave it to the Montgomery County Council and County Executive to be behind the curve!

Currently pending before the council is a proposal to mandate a Vaccine Passport for gaining entrance and service in designated business across the county.  Bethesda Beat tells us that this policy will single out restaurants, movie theaters, entertainment venues and other similar establishments, some of the hardest hit businesses in the original shut down. Now the county wants to impose further impediments to their businesses.

The local law would exempt those with credible medical or religious reasons, along with many businesses and entities with essential services: grocery stores, medical facilities, government buildings, and numerous others. Houses of worship are also exempt. With the possible exception of the houses of worship, this is the same business sector that was permitted to remain open before.

So, the council debates, the executive is prepared to act and at this point, it should be noted that there is not a doctor or medical professional among them. COVID-19 trends as posted by the Mayo Clinic shows all the trend lines in MoCo heading down.

Are our leaders reading the data or are they just interested in the exercise of power? Bending the masses to their will, despite everything that we see. And what we see is places like the United Kingdom taking decisive and definitive action.

On Jan. 19 Reuters reported from London: “British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the end of COVID-19 measures including mandatory face masks in England as he looks to live with the virus after a peak in cases caused by the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.”

As things go with this pandemic, we are just a few weeks behind the British in achieving the same status as they have with the virus. Clearly, they have made the decision that this virus is here to stay – they can’t wear masks forever and they cannot deny the business owners the unimpeded right to make a living. It appears that Montgomery County’s executive along with its council are in fact behind the curve. They’re considering imposing passport mandates when others are moving in just the opposite direction.

It’s time for MoCo to recognize that this virus is going to be around forever. It is reaching its endemic stage and life needs to return to normal.

Normal means NO PASSPORTS. The last thing this county needs is to drive more small businesses out of the county. County officials need to stop acting like our parents and get back to work on issues that really matter to the residents of this county.

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@BryanRenbaum

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said Wednesday that he is very concerned about the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in both the jurisdiction that he leads and throughout Maryland.

His remarks come the very day that the state’s COVID-19 related hospitalizations exceeded 2,000 patients and its positivity rate exceeded 19%.

Montgomery County currently has slightly more than 300 COVID-19 related hospitalizations and a positivity rate of about 15%

That Maryland’s largest jurisdiction has slightly better metrics that than of the state itself is likely due to the fact that it leads the state in vaccinations, with more than 95% of residents partially vaccinated and 83% fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

“Covid cases are surging. We are ending 2021 with the surging Covid cases at a level we have not seen since the beginning of the pandemic,” Elrich said at a virtual news conference.

“Our current case rate is 649.5 cases per 100,000 residents. This is eight times the case rate we were at at the start of the month. The Omicron variant is currently making up about 58% of our cases throughout the mid-Atlantic states,” he added.

The county executive said he is surprised by the recent spike in cases.

“This is a place where you do not expect to be, especially after the implementation of vaccines.”

Elrich said the recent spike hits “close to home,” as two members of his family recently tested positive for COVID-19 despite having received both the vaccine and a booster shot. Elrich said the two cases are both mild and the two individuals are quickly recovering.

Elrich joined the Maryland Hospital Association and fellow Democrats in calling on Gov. Larry Hogan to declare a state of emergency in response to the recent surge in cases and hospitalizations.

“This action would greatly help our hospitals in dealing with the surge.”

While Hogan has not declared a state of emergency, he provided an update on ongoing emergency actions on Wednesday morning.

“As we have been projecting, our statewide COVID-19 hospitalizations have now reached record levels and surpassed 2,000—a surge driven primarily by unvaccinated patients. It cannot be stressed enough that getting vaccinated and getting boosted are your strongest possible defenses against this virus and its variants,” Hogan said in a statement.

“With hospitalizations and deaths our primary focus, we have already taken a number of emergency actions in preparation for this surge. Earlier this month, we established a surge operations center to optimize bed capacity and fully utilize the alternate care sites we have kept in place. We have worked closely with our licensing boards to augment the healthcare workforce, and we have committed an additional $100 million for hospitals and nursing homes to address urgent staffing needs. Under a state health directive, hospitals are required to implement pandemic plans to suspend elective surgeries and manage their patient census. Whatever resources hospital systems have requested, we are providing,” the governor added.

Hogan said that he has mobilized the Maryland National Guard to step-up capacity at testing sites and that state officials are working hard to try to obtain more at-home rapid test kits.

And the governor reiterated that Marylanders should not panic.

“Again, this is not March of 2020. It’s important to use common sense and take precautions, but we have the tools, resources, and strategies in place to protect ourselves. We are closely monitoring this surge, and will continue to provide updates as additional actions are taken.”

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@BryanRenbaum

When 2021 began many of the state-imposed COVID-19 related restrictions that had been placed on businesses the previous year were still in effect.

By mid-year most of the restrictions had been lifted and daily life began to return to a semblance of normalcy as vaccines became more readily available.

However, by the end of 2021 local governments began to reimpose restrictions in response to rising positivity rates and hospitalizations.

This year also saw the General Assembly pass landmark police reform legislation over Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto, which added fuel to ongoing debates between the administration and Democratic lawmakers about how to address violent crime in Baltimore City.

And the year would close with contentious debate over the enactment of a new congressional redistricting map.

Below is a snapshot of 10 of the state’s most dynamic stories of 2021:

The state lifts capacity restrictions on restaurants, bars, and retail establishments

Hogan announced the decision at a news conference on March 9 in response to declining positivity rates. The decision went into effect on March 12. Hogan also announced that large entertainment gatherings such as sporting events would be able to resume with flexible capacity limits. This enabled Marylanders to once again go to Orioles games and attend races at Pimlico after a one year hiatus.

Statewide mask mandate is lifted 

Hogan announced the decision at a news conference on May 14 in response to updated guidance from the CDC. The decision went into effect the following day and allowed local governments to maintain mask mandates if they wished to do so.

All Marylanders age 16 and over are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines at mass vaxx sites 

Hogan announced the decision at a news conference on April 5. It went into effect the following day. The move was part of a statewide campaign to get all Marylanders vaccinated against the virus. By the end of the year the state closed most of its mass vaccination sites and began to rely more heavily on pharmacies and primary care providers to administer vaccines.

Howard County imposes indoor mask mandate 

County Executive Calvin Ball made the decision on December 23. It went into effect on December 26. Prior to that decision, Montgomery County and several other jurisdictions had already reinstated indoor mask mandates. December 27 saw Baltimore County reinstate its state of emergency, which requires all residents to wear masks indoors through Jan. 31.

COVID-19 hospitalizations exceed 1,500 threshold triggering emergency actions 

December 23 saw the state’s COVID-19 related hospitalizations exceed 1,500, which triggered the implementation of additional measures to reserve space for critically ill patients. They included  adjustment of capacity limits, redeployment of staff, and reduction of elective procedures.

Landmark police reform bills become law over Hogan’s objection

Police reform was the signature issue of the 2021 legislative session, and on April 10 the General Assembly voted to override Hogan’s veto of a package of bills that repealed the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights and placed limits on both the use of excessive force and no-knock warrants.

Hogan has repeatedly proposed a series of bills aimed at reducing violent crime that the General Assembly has declined to advance.

Hogan orders state to evaluate funding for the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s office 

An ongoing clash between Hogan and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby escalated vis-a-vis dueling news conferences on Nov. 23 after the governor announced that he had ordered the state to review funding for Mosby’s office.

Hogan’s decision came after Baltimore had surpassed its 300th homicide for the year. Hogan accused of Mosby being too lenient with violent criminals. Mosby accused the governor of using the city as a scapegoat for political purposes.

Hogan vetoes Democratic-backed congressional redistricting plan 

At a news conference on Dec. 9, Hogan vetoed congressional redistricting legislation favored by Democrats. “I am vetoing these disgracefully gerrymandered illegal maps, which are a shameful violation of state and federal law,” Hogan said.

Hours later the General Assembly voted to override the veto, making the new map law. The four-day special legislative session had begun with the rejection of an opposing redistricting map that was based on the work of an independent citizen’s commission whose members were appointed by Hogan.

Anti-gerrymandering groups have threatened legal action over the new map.

Former Senate President Mike Miller dies 

Senate President Emeritus Mike Miller died of prostate cancer on Jan. 15 at age 78. The political powerbroker led the upper chamber from 1987 to 2020 when he stepped down and was succeeded by then-36-year-old Baltimore City Sen. Bill Ferguson. Miller was considered an institution in Maryland politics and his death drew condolences from both state as well as national political figures.

Davis succeeds Kopp as Treasurer 

The General Assembly elected then-Prince George’s County Del. Dereck Davis state Treasurer on December 9. Davis succeeded Nancy Kopp, who had occupied the position since 2002 and is considered one of the most influential women in state politics.

The post Top 10 stories of 2021: COVID-19 restrictions lifted, landmark police reform becomes law appeared first on MarylandReporter.com.

@BryanRenbaum

The number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations in the state has exceeded the 1,500 threshold for which the implementation of additional measures to reserve space must be taken per a recent order by the  Maryland Department of Health.

The additional measures include the prioritization of hospital beds for COVID-19 patients and others who are critically ill, the adjustment of capacity limits, the redeployment of staff, and the reduction of elective procedures.

Gov. Larry Hogan responded to news of the threshold break on Thursday, saying COVID-19 related hospitalizations are likely to continue to increase in the short term.

“Our projections now show that in the coming weeks, we could reach record levels of COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maryland, possibly over 2,000,” Hogan said in a statement. “We have been actively preparing for this scenario in coordination with all of our hospitals, and today’s actions are the latest step in that planning.”

“With unvaccinated patients driving the strain on our health care system, we urge Marylanders to do your part by getting your vaccine or booster shot as soon as you can. We will continue to closely monitor this surge, and take additional actions as needed,” Hogan added.

On Tuesday, Hogan announced that the state will provide an additional $100 million in emergency funding to help address staffing needs at its hospitals and nursing homes.

There are 638,379 cases of COVID-19 in Maryland as of Thursday morning, according to the Department of Health, and 11,022 people in Maryland have died from the virus. The state’s positivity rate is 12.8%, which is considered extremely high by CDC guidelines. Maryland has conducted more than 15.8 million COVID-19 tests.

Ninety-one percent of the state’s adult population has received at least one dose of the vaccine, and about 65% have received both doses of the vaccine, according to the Department.

Nationwide, about 62% of the population or about 205 million people are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC.

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