Posts Tagged ‘coronavirus’
Md. Expands Capacity To Track COVID-19 Variants
Maryland is expanding its capacity to track and detect variants of COVID-19, such as the omicron variant which has now shown up in California. Governor Larry Hogan spoke during a news conference Wednesday, and said it remains the case that the most important thing Marylanders can do to maintain immunity against the virus and variants…
Read MoreMd. Addresses Concern About Omicron COVID-19 Variant
With growing concern about the Omicron Variant, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said Monday that the state’s COVID-19 Response Team is monitoring the situation. “While there is still much unknown about the Omicron variant and how it will spread, the most important thing Marylanders can do right now is to get vaccinated or get a booster…
Read MoreMd. To Distribute 500,000 At-Home Test Kits For COVID-19
Maryland plans to distribute half-a-million take-home COVID-19 test kits. The Maryland Department of Health said this week that kits will be made available free of charged through local health departments. Caroline County, for example, will have the at-home tests available at the local public library or at two community food pantries. Each kit contains two…
Read MoreDPH Shares CDC Guidance To Minimize Risk Of COVID Spread During Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is less than a week away, but Halloween parties are seen as a likely contributor to a rise in COVID-19 cases in Delaware. Delaware Public Health Director Dr. Karyl Rattay said Thursday that the highest rate of increase is among children ages 5 to 17. “We want to get ahead of things and prevent…
Read MoreMd. Board of Ed. Sets Meeting To Review Mask Mandate
The Maryland State Board of Education has scheduled a special virtual meeting for Tuesday, November 16th to gather feedback on the state’s emergency school mask requirement through public input and public health testimony. The Board last spring passed a resolution calling for the return to safe, in-person learning for the 2021-22 school year. An emergency…
Read MoreGov. Carney Extends School Mask Mandate
Delaware’s emergency masking requirement in public and private K-12 schools has been extended until February 8th, under action taken Wednesday by Governor John Carney, the Delaware Department of Education and the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. The current mandate is set to expire December 10th, with the option of a 60-day extension. The…
Read MoreBeebe Healthcare Will Require Staff To Be Vaccinated For COVID-19
Beebe Healthcare will move forward with a vaccine mandate next month. The Biden administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services last week announced a requirement that all eligible staff at healthcare facilities that participate in Medicare and Medicaid programs be vaccinated for COVID-19.Beebe Healthcare will require unvaccinated team members, contractors and vendors to…
Read MoreMd. Rolls Out Program To Offer COVID-19 Vaccinations To Children
About 515,000 more children in Maryland are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Governor Larry Hogan said Wednesday that schools, health departments, pediatricians and pharmacies will receive allocations of the Pfizer vaccine for children. The state’s vaccine equity task force will work to ensure that families in underserved communities will have access to the…
Read MoreDel. Providers Authorized To Give COVID-19 Vaccine To Children
Delaware providers of COVID-19 vaccinations are now able to offer the Pfizer pediatric vaccine for children between five and 11 years old. The CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has agreed with FDA findings that expand Emergency Use Authorization to allow the Pfizer vaccine to be administered to children. The dose has been reduced for…
Read MoreDPH Confirms Season’s 1st Flu Cases
The flu has arrived in Delaware. Delaware Public Health said Monday that the season’s first two cases of influenza have been laboratory-confirmed. One involves a 26-year-old Sussex County woman with influenza A. A Kent County child under age five required hospitalization for Influenza strain B. Neither of them had received the flu vaccine. “This first…
Read MoreMd. Rolls Out COVID-19 Booster Program
Many Marylanders need a boost. Effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines that were administered up to eleven months ago is starting to wear off. The state is especially focused on getting people who have underlying conditions or comorbidities to get a booster shot as soon as possible. “From day one of this crisis, our focus has…
Read MoreDel. Auditor Hosts ARPA Spending Town Hall
Delaware’s spending of American Rescue Plan Act funds and how it’s documented and tracked will be detailed tonight (Mon. Oct. 25th) in Georgetown at a town hall meeting hosted by State Auditor Kathy McGuiness. This is the last in a series of town halls announced by McGuiness, before she was indicted on charges related to…
Read MoreDel., Md. Advance COVID-19 Vax Booster Programs
Delaware and Maryland providers of COVID-19 vaccines can start providing booster shots for vaccines made by Moderna and Johnson and Johnson, to certain populations that have been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control. The Pfizer vaccine received booster authorization last month. Delaware Public Health officials issued this guidance Friday: Based on CDC recommendations for…
Read MoreVax / Test Requirement For Del. Educators Formalized
An emergency regulation has been formally issued that requires Delaware educators, school staff, volunteers and contractors that work in Delaware schools to be vaccinated for COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. Governor John Carney announced the requirement earlier this month. To read the emergency DHSS regulation, please CLICK HERE “There’s no better way to prevent the…
Read MoreMd. COVID-19 Update
Positivity Rate, Case Rate, Hospitalizations Decline Across The Board Maryland’s COVID-19 positivity rate (3.79%) has declined by 25.8% since August 22, and the state’s daily positivity rate of 2.95% is the lowest it has been since July 29. Maryland’s COVID-19 case rate per 100K (16.8) has declined by 19.1% since Sept. 15. Maryland’s COVID-19 hospitalizations (729) have declined by 13.7% since…
Read MoreDel. Weekly COVID-19 Update
The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is providing an update on the most recent statistics related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Delaware, as of 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021.   Total positive cases since March 11, 2020: 139,380 7-day average of new positive cases: 391.6, a decrease from 445.7 last week 7-day average for the…
Read MoreGov. Carney Extends Del. Public Health Emergency For 30 Days
Delaware’s Public Health Emergency Order has been extended another 30 days. Governor John Carney took the action Thursday. It allows the State of Delaware and medical providers to continue COVID-19 vaccination and testing programs. State law requires that the Public Health Emergency be renewed every 30 days to remain in effect. “There’s no better way…
Read MoreDel. Dept. of Labor Clarifies Questions About Workplace Vax Requirements
An employee who loses his or her job for not complying with a vaccine requirement could have a tough time obtaining unemployment benefits. The Delaware Department of Labor has determined that requirements of employers for employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 are generally “reasonable.” And, under Delaware law, a claimant would not be eligible for…
Read MoreBeebe Resumes Elective Procedures That Require Overnight Hospital Stay
Beebe Healthcare has resumed elective surgical procedures that require an overnight hospital stay. Such elective procedures were suspended last month due to rising rates of COVID-19 cases at the time. Beebe leadership said the volume of COVID-19 patients that are hospitalized has come down. “At this time, as we build the level of vaccination nationwide,…
Read MoreGet A Boost: Gov. Hogan Details COVID-19 Booster Shot Initiative
Who is eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot? When should it happen? What is the availability? Maryland Governor Larry Hogan Thursday was looking to clarify uncertainty over the booster, and he strongly encouraged Marylanders who are leigible to immediately get their booster shot. “If you are confused about boosters, you are not alone,” Hogan…
Read MoreWicomico Co. Schools Introduce COVID-19 Online Dashboard
Wicomico County Public Schools will make it easier for families, guardians and staff to obtain the latest information about COVID-19 cases and other related issues. The school system has introduced an online COVID-19 Dashboard. It shows active positive cases of coronavirus in schools, and it will provide the weekly total number of staff and students…
Read MoreBeebe Hosts Virtual COVID-19 Town Hall
The Sussex County community will be updated on COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and vaccine information during a Beebe Healthcare virtual town hall today (Wednesday). The meeting is scheduled between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Beebe Healthcare President and CEO Dr. David Tam and Beebe COVID-19 Response Medical Director Dr. Bill Chasanov will preside. The meeting can…
Read MoreMd. State Flags Fly Half-Staff To Honor 10,000+ Marylanders Lost Due To COVID-19
More than 10,000 Marylanders have been lost due to COVID-19 complications, according to Governor Larry Hogan, who directed state flags in Maryland to fly at half-staff in remembrance of those people over the past 19 months. “More than 10,000 lives have now been taken from us by this deadly virus. Each of these Marylanders was…
Read MoreMaryland State Board of Ed & State Dept of Ed Receive Approval of Statewide Masking for ALL Public Schools
In support of continuing efforts to keep students and school staff safe and ensure schools remain open for in-person learning during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Maryland State Board of Education, together with the Maryland State Department of Education, today received approval of a statewide masking requirement for all public schools. Following public testimony today,…
Read MoreBeebe Pauses Elective Surgeries That Require Overnight Hospital Stay
Beebe Healthcare plans to suspend elective surgical procedures that require an overnight hospital stay, effective today (Tuesday, September 14th). Hospital officials said Monday that the decision is being made out of an abundance of caution, and due to the influx of patients requiring hospitalization due to COVID-19 and unrelated serious medical issues. Patients who are…
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