Governor’s Briefing on COVID-19: December 8, 2020

December 8, 2020 – Governor Hogan Press Conference
“The cavalry is coming, a vaccine is on the way.” – Governor Larry Hogan

Vaccine Updates:

• Doses may deliver as early as next week.

• New order from MDH: Ensures that any health care professional will be able to administer COVID-19 vaccines with appropriate training and supervision.

• • Under the order, health care providers who can already perform vaccinations may prepare and administer COVID-19 vaccines at state-designated vaccination sites.

• Maryland’s initial allocation will only be 155,000 doses of the vaccine with the possibility of perhaps 300,000 by year’s end.

• Dr. Jinlene Chan, with the Maryland Department of Health, said the state could potentially receive vaccine doses by next week, depending on federal approval.

• The first priority group to receive the vaccine in Phase 1A will include health care workers, long-term facility care staff and first responders. In Phase 1B, people with higher risk and/or underlying conditions and adults in congregate settings will be next.

• Phase 2 will make the vaccine available to people in other critical essential infrastructure settings and the general population will receive the vaccine in Phase 3.

• The CDC told the state that Maryland could receive as many as 50,700 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which would likely come first because it’s currently under federal review. Dr. Jinlene Chan said Maryland could receive as many as 104,300 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

• Bryan Mroz, the state’s assistant health secretary and chief medical officer, said people who receive the vaccine can access their vaccine records on an online consumer access portal.

• Researchers at the University of Maryland Medical Center were first in the U.S. to begin testing Pfizer’s vaccine, while Novavax is about to begin Phase 3 trials.

• Emergent BioSolutions is manufacturing vaccines for both AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

• • In total, nearly 40 Maryland companies have been working on vaccines and innovative therapeutics.

• Maryland Department of Health team has worked over the last eight months on plans to procure, distribute and administer COVID-19 vaccines.

• Maryland’s plan was submitted to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in October and committed $10 million in November for strategic stockpile of supplies.

• Documents released by U.S. regulators Tuesday confirmed that Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine was strongly protective against COVID-19.

Current Maryland COVID-19 Metrics

• 4,268 prospects responded to the state’s call for a medical staffing surge. The prospects signed up in the first week to work at Maryland hospitals, nursing homes, testing sites and vaccination clinics.

• Today was the 35^th consecutive day of at least 1,000 new cases reported in a day. On December 4, Maryland set a new record for a single-day increase in cases of 3,792.

• As of today, Maryland Department of Health data indicated the state recorded 219,961 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began.

• • The state added 50 more deaths, the highest single-day count since May 27.
  • The statewide positivity rate was 7.61%.

• As of today, 1,653 coronavirus patients were hospitalized.

• • There are 396 patients in the intensive care unit.
  • There are 1,257 patients in the acute care unit.

• Active COVID-19 Cases

• • 190 nursing homes
  • 132 assisted living facilities

• The governor made another call to Congress for additional federal relief for families and small businesses.

Maryland Metrics
8^th best positivity in the nation
9^th best case rate
4^th best for mask wearing