Capacity Restrictions To Be Lifted, MD Prepares To Vaccinate Kids

MARYLAND — All businesses in Maryland will be able to open at 100 percent capacity on Saturday, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday, bringing an end to COVID-19 restrictions that have been in place for more than a year.

"As a direct result of our incredibly fast pace of vaccinations — and because of the subsequent decline in hospitalizations, positivity rate, transmission rate, and case rate," the Republican governor said, "we are lifting all restrictions on all outdoor entertainment, art, sports venues — including all ticketed events — as well as indoor entertainment venues, conventions, and other businesses."

The indoor mask mandate still remains. But Hogan says everyone can ditch their face coverings once 70 percent of Maryland adults receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The state officially surpassed having 65 percent of adults inoculated on Tuesday. At 65.1 percent, Maryland is outpacing the national vaccination rate of 58.7 percent, data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed.

At a press conference Wednesday, Hogan said that "we are well on our way to reaching" the 70-percent vaccination benchmark by Memorial Day weekend — which is ahead of President Joe Biden's national goal of July 4.

Hogan Encourages Vaccinations, Blames Unvaccinated For Slowing Recovery Efforts

Hogan on Wednesday again encouraged residents to get inoculated as soon as possible, saying it's "the fastest way to get rid of our damn masks and to put this pandemic behind us once and for all." He also noted that people who do not get vaccinated are slowing the state's economic recovery efforts and putting themselves and others at risk for infection, hospitalization, and death.

All adults in Maryland are eligible to get the vaccine. Shots are being offered through county health departments, state-run mass vaccination sites, hospitals, and pharmacies.

Anyone with questions or concerns can call the state's COVID-19 Vaccination Support Center at 1-855-MDGOVAX (1-855-634-6829). More information about vaccines, as well as how to get them, can be found here.

To date, Maryland has administered 5,351,130 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Among those, 2,918,369 were first doses and 2,225,518 were second doses.

"With nearly two-thirds of all adults in our state vaccinated, there is simply no excuse for putting off your vaccination any longer," Hogan said. "Getting a vaccine is the right thing to do, not just for your own safety but for the safety of your friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors as well."

Efforts to Vaccinate Younger Marylanders Underway

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday granted emergency authorization for use of Pfizer's vaccine in children 12 to 15 years old.

In light of this news, Hogan said 11 state-run mass vaccination sites and hundreds of pharmacies will begin offering the vaccine to younger children on Thursday.

Speaking at Wednesday's press conference, Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Jinlene Chan said that, with the ongoing spread of coronavirus variants, it is now more important than ever for everyone to get vaccinated — including adolescents.

She said the proportion of teenagers and younger adults getting COVID-19 is getting bigger, in part because of how many older adults have been vaccinated.

"So now our attention shifts so that we can focus on vaccinating younger children," Chan said. "Vaccines can protect teens against infections and potential complications from COVID-19, and, importantly, also decreases the chance that they could spread the infection to others."

Chan acknowledged that this is a personal decision for families, but encouraged them to ask questions and seek information from trusted sources, including their child's pediatrician.

"I am not just a physician. I am also a parent. And my son falls into this age category," she said. "We have been having conversations with him about getting vaccinated and what the importance of it is, and what to expect ... so that he can get back to some of the activities that he missed out on last year — like summer camps, hanging out with friends, and other activities."

"So this is really what we are vaccinating for, to get back to a normal that our kids and our families deserve."

Moderna vs. Pfizer vs. Johnson & Johnson

There are three vaccines currently available in the United States — Moderna, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.

The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are more alike than they are different.

They both deliver messenger RNA (mRNA) — a genetic recipe that teaches your body how to build the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus. If the real virus enters the body, your immune system will recognize it and know how to fight it.

Moderna and Pfizer's vaccines require two shots. The difference: Pfizer's vaccine must be stored in ultra-low temperature freezers. Moderna's vaccine needs to be frozen, too — just not at minus 70 degrees Celcius.

Both drug companies claim their vaccine candidate is highly effective. Moderna says its vaccine has an efficacy rate of 94.1 percent, while Pfizer reports its vaccine has an efficacy rate of 95 percent.

No serious side effects were reported. Some mild side effects that were reported in clinical trials include muscle and joint pain, fatigue, chills, fever, and headaches.

Moderna's vaccine is for people 18 years old and up. Pfizer's vaccine was initially authorized for people 16 and older, but now the CDC is now recommending it for those between the ages of 12 and 15.

Unlike the other two vaccines, the J&J vaccine is administered in a single shot.

It also uses a different technology to prime the body to fight against COVID-19. Instead of mRNA, J&J utilizes an adenovirus — a common cold virus that cannot replicate and make a person sick once it enters the cells.

Ultimately, the cold virus will deliver the coronavirus-fighting genetic blueprint into the cells and teach the immune system how to recognize the spike protein found on the surface of the coronavirus.

Adenovirus vaccines can be refrigerated for up to three months at 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Clinical trials did show the J&J vaccine as being less effective against the virus compared with the vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer. The company said the vaccine has a 72 percent efficacy rate among trial participants in the U.S., but is about 85 percent effective against the most severe forms of the virus. Moderna and Pfizer tout efficacy rates at or near 95 percent.

While none of the vaccines are 100 percent effective against COVID-19, they all meet the 50 percent efficacy threshold established by the FDA.

J&J's vaccine is for people 18 years old and up.