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January 20, 2021

The Talbot Spy

The nonprofit e-newspaper for the Talbot County Community

News COVID-19

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Jan. 19

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Maryland added more than 1,900 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 53 deaths.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 7.8%, a decrease of 0.42 percentage points. The rate had been above 8% for 21 days.

Key points for today

• Talbot County COVID-19 cases increased by 22 to 1,770, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 7.91%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 330,186, an increase of 1,972 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 53 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 6,476.

The Spy obtains information for this chart between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Statewide data is updated about 10 a.m. each day; counties may update data throughout the day until 5 p.m. Johns Hopkins updates its data throughout the day.

* For Kent County deaths, The Spy reports its own tally based on the number of state-reported deaths within Kent County facilities and the number of non-facility deaths. For Queen Anne’s County deaths, The Spy reports the total deaths listed on the county’s website. There are discrepancies among state and county statistics concerning total deaths and facility deaths.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased by 25 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,875 people hospitalized — 1,464 in acute care and 411 in intensive care.

• Of the 29,389 test results received yesterday, 8.26% were positive.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Md. Hospital Capacity and Beds in Use

Additional information

• A total of 6,510,156 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 2,731,921 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 330,186 cases, 30,157 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 9,456 have been released from isolation.

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Jan. 18

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Maryland added more than 1,700 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 29 deaths.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 8.22%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points. The rate has been above 8% for 21 days.

Key points for today

• Talbot County COVID-19 cases increased by 6 to 1,748, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 8.62%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 328,214, an increase of 1,769 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 29 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 6,423.

The Spy obtains information for this chart between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Statewide data is updated about 10 a.m. each day; counties may update data throughout the day until 5 p.m. Johns Hopkins updates its data throughout the day.

* For Kent County deaths, The Spy reports its own tally based on the number of state-reported deaths within Kent County facilities and the number of non-facility deaths. For Queen Anne’s County deaths, The Spy reports the total deaths listed on the county’s website. There are discrepancies among state and county statistics concerning total deaths and facility deaths.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased by 27 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,850 people hospitalized — 1,429 in acute care and 421 in intensive care.

• Of the 25,735 test results received yesterday, 8.78% were positive.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Md. Hospital Capacity and Beds in Use

Additional information

• A total of 6,480,786 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 2,724,491 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 328,214 cases, 29,842 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 9,455 have been released from isolation.

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Jan. 17

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Maryland added more than 2,400 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 25 additional deaths.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 8.12%, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points. The rate has been above 8% for 20 days.

Key points for today

• Talbot County COVID-19 cases increased by 25 to 1,742, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 8.45%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 326,445, an increase of 2,414 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 25 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 6,394.

The Spy obtains information for this chart between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Statewide data is updated about 10 a.m. each day; counties may update data throughout the day until 5 p.m. Johns Hopkins updates its data throughout the day.

* For Kent County deaths, The Spy reports its own tally based on the number of state-reported deaths within Kent County facilities and the number of non-facility deaths. For Queen Anne’s County deaths, The Spy reports the total deaths listed on the county’s website. There are discrepancies among state and county statistics concerning total deaths and facility deaths.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased by 2 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,823 people hospitalized — 1,415 in acute care and 408 in intensive care.

• Of the 55,842 test results received yesterday, 7.02% were positive.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Md. Hospital Capacity and Beds in Use

Additional information

• A total of 6,455,048 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 2,716,464 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 326,445 cases, 29,631 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 9,454 have been released from isolation.

Talbot County Ready to Enter Vaccination Phase 1B on Monday, Jan. 18

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Dr. Maria Maguire, acting health officer for Talbot County, says the Talbot County Health Department is ready to move to Phase 1B on Jan. 18 following Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement on Thursday that he was accelerating Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.

Phase 1B includes group homes and other congregate care facilities, continuity of government officials, high-risk incarcerated adults, people over 75 years old, and K-12 school staff. Healthcare workers and first responders were in Phase 1A.

Counties are allocated vaccines based on general population size, meaning counties may complete phases at different paces based on the demographics of their specific population.

Other counties may be in different phases than Talbot County due to having fewer individuals eligible for 1A and 1B in their population.

Many healthcare providers and seniors live and work in Talbot County, making the county’s 1A and 1B categories much larger than some of our surrounding counties.

“I am excited to hear the governor’s announcement about the state moving into Phase 1B, as Talbot is ready to do so next week,” Dr. Maguire says. “We have been limited only by the supply we’ve received.”

Talbot County residents 75 years of age and older must pre-register for their COVID-19 vaccinations on the Talbot County Health Department website at bit.ly/talbot-75. TCHD staff will then respond to individuals confirming receipt of the pre-registration and, when vaccine is available, instructions on how to register for a vaccine clinic.

TCHD also plans to set up a call center for residents to schedule vaccinations with updates announced through social media, on the TCHD and talbotcovid19.org webpages, and through public service announcements.

Wendy Sauca (right) and Sr. Airman Rachel Davis wait for their next patient during a recent vaccination clinic.

County Manager Clay Stamp is delighted that Talbot County’s vaccination plan is working effectively and that healthcare professionals now have a weapon against the COVID-19 virus. Talbot County is utilizing all available resources in order to distribute the vaccine as quickly and effective as possible. The Maryland National Guard was able to assist at the most recent vaccine clinic for healthcare providers.

“The vaccine is an offensive tool we can use to help bend the curve of the pandemic,” Stamp says. “This is a significant part of a broader operation to bring together the community through coordination with our emergency operations center team to support the health department, business community, and people of Talbot County.”

As of Tues., Jan. 12, TCHD had received 1,700 Moderna vaccinations. The health department requests vaccinations each week, and has been receiving on average 500 vaccinations per week. TCHD has administered 1,132 vaccinations to date.

For more information about Talbot County’s vaccination plan, visit TalbotCovid19.org.

Where to Find More Information:

CDC COVID-2019 Website: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Talbot County COVID-19 Information: www.talbotcovid19.org

Shore Regional Health COVID Information: https://www.umms.org/shore/patients-
visitors/coronavirus

Maryland Department of Health Website: https://health.maryland.gov/pages/home.aspx

Talbot County Health Department Website: https://health.maryland.gov/talbotcounty/Pages/home.aspx

Maryland COVID-19 Website: https://governor.maryland.gov/coronavirus

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Jan. 16

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Maryland added nearly 3,300 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 47 additional deaths.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 8.13%, a decrease of 0.17 percentage points. The rate has been above 8% for 19 days.

Key points for today

• Talbot County COVID-19 cases increased by 31 to 1,717, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 8.35%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 324,031, an increase of 3,292 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 47 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 6,369.

The Spy obtains information for this chart between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Statewide data is updated about 10 a.m. each day; counties may update data throughout the day until 5 p.m. Johns Hopkins updates its data throughout the day.

* For Kent County deaths, The Spy reports its own tally based on the number of state-reported deaths within Kent County facilities and the number of non-facility deaths. For Queen Anne’s County deaths, The Spy reports the total deaths listed on the county’s website. There are discrepancies among state and county statistics concerning total deaths and facility deaths.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients decreased by 27 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,821 people hospitalized — 1,409 in acute care and 412 in intensive care.

• Of the 55,842 test results received yesterday, 7.02% were positive.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Md. Hospital Capacity and Beds in Use

Additional information

• A total of 6,408,323 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 2,705,207 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 324,031 cases, 29,412 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 9,451 have been released from isolation.

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Jan. 15

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Maryland added more than 2,900 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 45 additional deaths.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 8.3%, a decrease of 0.13 percentage points. The rate has been above 8% for 18 days.

Another Talbot County resident died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the county’s total to 15.

Key points for today

• Talbot County COVID-19 cases increased by 24 to 1,686, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 8.51%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 320,739, an increase of 2,924 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 45 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 6,322.

The Spy obtains information for this chart between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Statewide data is updated about 10 a.m. each day; counties may update data throughout the day until 5 p.m. Johns Hopkins updates its data throughout the day.

* For Kent County deaths, The Spy reports its own tally based on the number of state-reported deaths within Kent County facilities and the number of non-facility deaths. For Queen Anne’s County deaths, The Spy reports the total deaths listed on the county’s website. There are discrepancies among state and county statistics concerning total deaths and facility deaths.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients increased by 5 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,848 people hospitalized — 1,427 in acute care and 421 in intensive care.

• Of the 54,416 test results received yesterday, 6.79% were positive.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Md. Hospital Capacity and Beds in Use

Additional information

• A total of 6,352,475 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 2,691,673 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 320,739 cases, 29,285 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 9,444 have been released from isolation.

More Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccines by Monday, Hogan Says

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Teachers, child-care workers, people 75 and older, and members of various high-risk groups will become eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine as of Monday, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) announced.

In expanding from Phase 1A into Phase 1B of the state’s vaccination campaign, an additional 860,000 people will be allowed access to the vaccine, according to the Maryland Department of Health’s website.

But Hogan, speaking at a news conference Thursday evening, cautioned that Maryland is currently using more doses each day than it is receiving from the federal government — and unless the flow increases soon, the state will run out.

“On Monday, Jan. 18, eligible groups will be expanded statewide to include all Marylanders 75 and over, as well as anyone of any age, living in assisted living or independent living facilities, and developmental disabilities and behavioral health group homes,” he said.

In addition to K-12 teachers, support staff and child-care providers, Phase 1B includes high-risk incarcerated individuals and elected officials.

Under state activation of Part B of the federal government’s contract with CVS and Walgreens, residents of assisted living and all other long-term care facilities will be able to get vaccinated by those pharmacies, Hogan said.

The state is setting up a new website, covidvax.maryland.gov, where people can get information about vaccination opportunities in their communities and sign up. Vaccinations will be by appointment only.

As of Thursday, Maryland had vaccinated 2.95 of every 100 residents, a rate below neighboring Delaware (3.18%), Pennsylvania (3.01%), D.C. (4.68%) and West Virginia (6.54%), according to a Bloomberg tracking site.

Maryland has used approximately a third of the 547,000 doses it has received. Only ten states and Puerto Rico have made use of a smaller percentage of its on-hand supply.

To help boost the state’s efforts, Hogan announced a pilot program at 10 Wal-Marts and 22 Giant supermarkets to administer vaccines beginning on Jan. 25.

Hogan said the state’s rollout has been hampered by logistical hurdles and a refusal by some nursing home residents and others to get vaccinated. He said that no doses will go to waste.

He and Rona Kramer, Maryland’s Secretary of Aging, stressed that the vaccines have been thoroughly vetted and are safe and effective. People with older relatives or friends were urged to help them locate a vaccination clinic in their area.

“There is no need for anyone in a long-term care facility to leave the facility in order to obtain the vaccine,” she said. “The vaccines will come to you through the CVS or Walgreens’ vaccination teams.”

Although Maryland is preparing to expand into Phase 1B of its vaccination campaign, efforts to reach people in Phase 1A — health-care workers, first responders, nursing home residents and staff, and others deemed at risk — will continue, Hogan said.

The state will continue to assist in any way possible, he added, and he again urged residents to be patient.

“The number of people just in Phase 1 of our plan is 1.5 million people, and they need two doses, so that’s three million doses,” he said. “This is going to take a long time, a great deal of patience and a lot more vaccines.”

By Bruce DePuyt

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Jan. 14

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Maryland added more than 2,900 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 44 additional deaths.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 8.43%, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points. The rate has been above 8% for 17 days.

Key points for today

• Talbot County COVID-19 cases increased by 20 to 1,662, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 9.31%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 317,815, an increase of 2,948 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 44 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 6,277.

The Spy obtains information for this chart between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Statewide data is updated about 10 a.m. each day; counties may update data throughout the day until 5 p.m. Johns Hopkins updates its data throughout the day.

* For Kent County deaths, The Spy reports its own tally based on the number of state-reported deaths within Kent County facilities and the number of non-facility deaths. For Queen Anne’s County deaths, The Spy reports the total deaths listed on the county’s website. There are discrepancies among state and county statistics concerning total deaths and facility deaths.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients decreased by 86 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,843 people hospitalized — 1,418 in acute care and 425 in intensive care.

• Of the 43,826 test results received yesterday, 8.24% were positive.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Md. Hospital Capacity and Beds in Use

Additional information

• A total of 6,298,178 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 2,679,345 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 317,815 cases, 29,123 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 9,443 have been released from isolation.

Promises to Work Together — But Also Glaring Differences — as Unprecedented Session Begins

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On the first day of the Maryland General Assembly’s 442th session, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) and Democratic leaders of the legislature pledged to work collaboratively on shared priorities — economic relief for needy residents, boosting distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, and aid for struggling businesses chief among them. 

But the outlines of differing policy preferences and timetables for action emerged even before lawmakers formally convened at midday Wednesday in Annapolis. 

In a live-streamed Wednesday interview with The Daily Record, Hogan (R) urged the Assembly to take up his recently-unveiled $1 billion relief plan immediately. Moments later, the leaders of the state Senate and House of Delegates signaled they would spend at least the first couple weeks of the session crafting their own multi-pronged package. 

Similarly, lawmakers said they intended to make good on a long-held pledge to override Hogan’s veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a bill to dramatically boost education spending, despite the governor’s assertion that doing so would be “one of the biggest mistakes” the legislature has ever made. 

The promises to work together — and the early outlines of disagreement — occurred on an opening day like none in state history. 

The Senate floor as seen from one of the galleries above. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines, Maryland Matters

The joviality that accompanies opening day sessions was gone. There were no squirming babies in the House or Senate chamber, fidgeting children hoping to escape fancy clothes, or spouses. There was no back-slapping and there were no receptions. 

Forearm-grabbing lobbyists were almost nowhere to be seen, and the galleries were empty, except for a small number of socially-distanced journalists. 

The hearty laugh and larger-than-life presence of Thomas V. Mike Miller Jr., whose history-shaping 50-year run as a legislator ended in December, was also absent. 

In the Senate, lawmakers sat at desks that had plexiglass partitions with swinging half-doors. Staff also sat in isolation booths that had been constructed over the interim. The proceedings were live-streamed to a public that was otherwise shut out of the State House. 

Around State Circle, security was tighter than normal, a response to online threats of violence against state capitols in the wake of last week’s insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. 

Newly re-elected Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), fighting back emotion, called this session “something very, very different.” But he said lawmakers have the potential to “change destiny.” 

“Over the next 90 days, we have an unbelievable opportunity to truly change destiny,” he said. “It’s going to take very, very tough conversations. It’s going to take creative problem-solving, long hours, and working across the aisle in ways and spaces and formats that you have never used before.” 

House Speaker Adrienne A. Jones (D-Baltimore County), like Ferguson, was reelected unanimously.

Before Jones spoke, House Majority Leader Eric G. Luedtke (D-Montgomery) read the invocation on behalf of Del. Samuel I. Rosenberg (D-Baltimore City), who traditionally delivers the prayer on the opening day of the legislative session, but was one of more than 40 House members who did not attend the opening ceremony.

“Since we last met, some words have new meanings: ‘Zoom,’ ‘House annex,’ ‘virtual hearing,’” Luedtke read. “Some phrases have not changed: ’propose,’ ‘persuade,’ ‘count to 71,’ ‘the rule of law.’”

“Some issues have come to the forefront, like our commitment to racial and economic justice” Luedtke continued. “As we work together to address these and other challenges in the days ahead, may we remain committed to the people who sent us here to make policy on their behalf.”

Following her swearing-in, Jones thanked the chamber.

“I’m going to spare you of a speech, I just want to thank each and every one of you and we’ve got the people’s business to do, so let’s get started,” Jones said to applause.

The pandemic yielded some unusual seating arrangements in the House chamber: Del. Tony Bridges (D-Baltimore City) sat in a tall chair — no desk — in a back corner, while 14 of his colleagues were spaced out in the public gallery above.

A limited number of House lawmakers — enough for a quorum to start the session and make necessary rule changes — were on hand for opening day.

At one point during the short House floor session, a small group of Republican delegates assembled outside, wanting to take part in the proceedings. House aides arranged for them to come through the chamber in a single-file line and raise a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on the rule changes.

“We were told not to show up, but we were upset about that, so we wanted to be recognized that we were here to do our job,” Del. April Rose (R-Carroll) said.

The changes to the rules will allow roughly half of the House chamber to sit in an annex created in the House office building. The make-up of the seating arrangement was drawn by lottery and Republicans are present in both chambers at the same ratio.

While members in the annex will be able to vote on and debate measures on the floor in real time, via video, there will be something of a hierarchy in that auxiliary room, with Speaker Pro Tem Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore) presiding and committee vice chairs sitting in the front row. Lawmakers who want to speak will not be able to do so from their desks, but will go to a protected area that looks a little like an old phone booth.

House Speaker Pro Tem Sheree Sample-Hughes (D-Lower Shore) will preside over the “chamber annex” in the weeks ahead. Photo by Danielle E. Gaines, Maryland Matters

Even as dramatic measures are being taken to keep members safe and socially distanced as the coronavirus continues to rage, state officials are also mindful of the heightened security threat in Annapolis.

“The confluence of events in which we are operating – the pandemic, the threats on democracy, the health precautions that we have to take – it doesn’t feel like anything I ever imagined,” Ferguson told reporters virtually after the first floor session had ended. 

Hogan, who faulted federal security officials for a “terrible lack of preparation” in the lead-up to last week’s riot in Washington, D.C., said “we’re taking every precaution we can to make sure that that does not happen here in our State House.” 

“While we’re not expecting that kind of a situation, we’re prepared for whatever eventuality might come up, and we’re going to try to keep people safe,” Hogan said during The Daily Record’s “Eye on Annapolis” Summit, which is held annually on the first day of session. “We’re going to keep everybody from causing any trouble.” 

Dueling relief plans 

Hogan’s $1 billion relief plan would use a mix of targeted tax cuts and taps a portion of the state’s rainy day fund to aid struggling families and small businesses. It would offer stimulus checks to Marylanders who qualified for the Earned Income Tax Credit in 2019 or 2020. The payouts would amount to $450 for individuals and $750 for families, with no application needed.

Hogan’s stimulus package would provide $180 million in tax relief for unemployed residents by repealing all state and local income taxes on unemployment benefits. It would also allow small businesses to keep up to $12,000 in sales tax over the next four months, amounting to $300 million statewide.

Legislative leaders have yet to release their full relief plans, but they have signaled that they are looking for more robust spending, and also want to help renters on the verge of eviction, homeowners on the verge of foreclosure, and Marylanders struggling to pay their utility bills.

They have also committed to enact police reform, ban chokeholds and no-knock warrants and repeal the Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights. 

In the wake of the ongoing public health, governmental, social justice and economic crises the state and nation are facing, the governor said “our normal big legislative package has been slimmed down to a very focused agenda.” 

“Our most important piece of legislation is the relief act,” he added. “That’s really the only thing I care about, frankly. … If the legislature passed the budget, passed some relief, I’d call it a huge success and call it a day.” 

Jones and Ferguson said they had not seen Hogan’s proposal, and they shrugged off his request to pass it on opening day. “We have a relief package and we’re going to prioritize that,” the speaker said. 

“Marylanders are hurting in ways that are unimaginable,” Ferguson added. “We all share the urgency to make sure that we help the most vulnerable Marylanders to be able to get through this crisis.” 

The Senate leader said proposals to improve the state’s beleaguered unemployment insurance system would be part of the legislature’s recovery package. 

Lawmakers prepare to override Hogan veto

Legislative leaders are determined to override Hogan’s veto of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a measure to pump an additional $4 billion into the state’s public schools system, partially funded by a new tax on digital downloads. 

In his morning interview, Hogan acknowledged that the Democratic-led Assembly has the numbers to overturn him — but he warned that doing so would fly in the face of public opinion. 

“The legislature does have the power to override those vetoes, [but] I think it would be one of the biggest mistakes they ever made,” Hogan said. 

“We have provided record funding into education six years in a row,” Hogan said, “and our budget [for next year] is going to put more money than the legislative formulas call for.” 

Supporters of the education legislation made their presence felt in Annapolis Wednesday with a small rally featuring 20 cardboard cutouts of Maryland public school students.

The groups Progressive Maryland and Working Families sent a billboard truck to downtown Annapolis to rally for more funding for COVID-19 relief efforts. The truck carried videotaped messages of Marylanders who have seen their livelihoods jeopardized by the pandemic.

With restaurants, hotels and stores largely quiet, the truck playing the video messages was one of the few overt signs that the General Assembly is back in session for the first time since lawmakers cut short the 2020 session last March. 

“It looks like a ghost town here in Annapolis,” Hogan said. 

By Bruce DePuyt, Danielle E. Gaines, Josh Kurtz, Hannah Gaskill, and Bennett Leckrone

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Jan. 13

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Maryland added more than 2,500 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours and 37 additional deaths.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 8.53%, a decrease of 0.24 percentage points. The rate has been above 8% for 16 days.

 

Key points for today

• Talbot County COVID-19 cases increased by 20 to 1,642, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 9.82%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 314,867, an increase of 2,516 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 37 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 6,233.

The Spy obtains information for this chart between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Statewide data is updated about 10 a.m. each day; counties may update data throughout the day until 5 p.m. Johns Hopkins updates its data throughout the day.

* For Kent County deaths, The Spy reports its own tally based on the number of state-reported deaths within Kent County facilities and the number of non-facility deaths. For Queen Anne’s County deaths, The Spy reports the total deaths listed on the county’s website. There are discrepancies among state and county statistics concerning total deaths and facility deaths.

Key metrics

• The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients decreased by 23 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,929 people hospitalized — 1,475 in acute care and 454 in intensive care.

• Of the 34,334 test results received yesterday, 8.84% were positive.

For additional COVID-19 graphics and links to resources, click here.

Md. Hospital Capacity and Beds in Use

Additional information

• A total of 6,254,353 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Maryland; this number does not represent the total number of patients tested as some patients have been tested multiple times. The state reports 2,667,562 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 314,867 cases, 28,986 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 9,439 have been released from isolation.