MD Sees Biggest Drop Of COVID Cases, J&J Vaccine Usage Resumes

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland’s COVID-19 metrics are among the best in the country as the state continues to ramp up coronavirus vaccination efforts, the governor said, with the use of the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine resuming and University of Maryland students facing required vaccinations to return to classes.

Gov. Larry Hogan said Saturday the state saw a 43 percent drop in new COVID-19 cases over the last week — the biggest drop in the country.

"One of the most important things you can do is encourage your neighbors, coworkers, and loved ones to get vaccinated," Hogan tweeted Friday.

Residents can get vaccinated without an appointment at six mass vaccination sites. Walk-up vaccinations are open to all eligible Marylanders at these locations:

• M&T Bank Stadium (Pfizer), 1101 Russell St., Baltimore; Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.*
• Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital (Pfizer), 1 W Pratt St., Baltimore; Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-noon, for Baltimore City residents only
• Greenbelt Metro Station (Pfizer). 5717 Greenbelt Metro Dr., Greenbelt; Monday-Tuesday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Wednesday-Thursday, 2 p.m.-6 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
• Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Moderna), 550 Taylor Ave., Annapolis; Wednesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.*
• Wicomico Civic Center (Pfizer), 500 Glen Ave., Salisbury; Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• Hagerstown Premium Outlets (Pfizer), 900 Premium Outlets Blvd., Hagerstown; Monday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

*Note that walk-ups will not be offered at these sites on the days of large sporting events.

State officials said walk-up times and vaccination capacity may vary, and residents should be prepared to wait, depending on demand. If you need a second dose only you may use walk-up lines. Only the Pfizer vaccine is authorized for 16- and 17-year-olds.

The fastest way to get through a mass vaccination site and be guaranteed a vaccine is by pre-registering at covidvax.maryland.gov or by calling 1-855-MD-GOVAX.

Maryland healthcare providers have administered 4,279,177 COVID-19 vaccines, and 57.4 percent of adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The University System of Maryland said Friday that all students, faculty and staff who want to be on campus in the fall needed to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

"We see that the risk of vaccines is very low, whereas the risk of COVID is very high — and that risk is increasingly falling on young people," University of Maryland Chancellor Jay A. Perman, who is also a physician, said in a statement. "This is no longer a disease for the old. The data on the new COVID cases in Maryland show that 40 percent are patients under 40 years old."

J&J Vaccine To Resume In Maryland

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration have lifted the pause on the use of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The decision came after a CDC advisory committee's recommendation that health care providers resume the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for adults aged 18 and above.

The pause was put into effect after several deaths, all women under 50, were reported because of rare blood clots. All the women had received the J&J vaccine.

The CDC and FDA said in a statement: "Following a thorough safety review, including two meetings of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have determined that the recommended pause regarding the use of the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) COVID-19 Vaccine in the U.S. should be lifted and use of the vaccine should resume."

Based on the federal recommendations, the Maryland Department of Health said it supports the reintroduction of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Maryland COVID-19 vaccine providers may resume using their available supplies of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the agency said Saturday.

“The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is one of our most important tools in the ongoing fight to prevent hospitalizations and deaths associated with COVID-19,” said Dr. Jinlene Chan, MDH’s deputy secretary for public health services. “By resuming use of this safe and effective vaccine in Maryland, we will continue to bolster our ability to stay ahead of new cases and emerging variants.”

Health providers should share with patients updated information about the potential risks related to the J&J vaccine, including the rare occurrence of thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome, a condition where a rare type of blood clot is found in combination with low platelet levels, the MDH said in a news release.

According to the Centre for Mathematical Modeling of Infectious Diseases, Maryland has the lowest transmission rate in the country, and is the only state in the confirmed decreasing category for the rate of spread (0.86).

In total, 8,462 Marylanders have died during the coronavirus pandemic, with 15 deaths from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, according to the state's COVID dashboard.

White House COVID Report

Before St. Patrick's Day, all Maryland jurisdictions were out of the "red zone," based on falling coronavirus positivity and case rates.

The latest report from the White House COVID-19 task force for Maryland shows 15 of the state's 24 jurisdictions are in the red zone caused by another surge in the virus.

Those areas in the red zone are: Baltimore city and the counties of Baltimore, Prince George's, Anne Arundel, Harford, Howard, Frederick, Washington, Carroll, Charles, Cecil, Allegany, Dorchester, Queen Anne's and Carolina.

Transmission of the virus is high statewide, according to authorities, although the number of coronavirus patients admitted to Maryland hospitals decreased in the latest report by 2 percent over the previous week.

See the latest White House Coronavirus Task Force report for Maryland, which was updated April 20 and covers the preceding seven days.

Daily Positivity Rate: On Saturday, April 24, for the first time since March 13, Maryland reported a daily positivity rate under 3 percent (2.98%), and for the first time since March 27, the state recorded a seven-day positivity rate under 5 percent (4.87%), Hogan's office said.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate has declined by 48.5 percent from its 2021 peak.

Hospitalizations Fall: COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maryland have declined for four straight days and are down 40 percent from their 2021 peak. On Saturday, 1,163 beds were occupied by COVID patients; 876 of those hospitalized are in acute care; and 287 are in the intensive care unit.

Official data is available at coronavirus.maryland.gov.

Related:

• All MD Residents 16 And Up Can Get COVID-19 Vaccine
• U.S. Rep. Andy Harris Disagrees With Maryland University Mandate