Maryland Governor Hogan declares state of emergency as state enters its ‘most challenging time’

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Tue, 2022-01-04 20:42 — mike kraft

Hogan declares state of emergency as Maryland enters its ‘most challenging time’ of the pandemic Hogan has been under fire for weeks to take additional action to address the omicron surge in Maryland. Washington Post

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Tuesday declared a 30-day state of emergency that mobilizes the National Guard to assist state and local health officers at coronavirus testing and vaccination sites and authorizes the state Department of Health to take steps to increase staffing at overwhelmed hospitals.

Hogan predicted that Maryland will see its “most challenging” phase of the pandemic yet in the next four to six weeks, with models projecting up to 5,000 people hospitalized for covid-19, an increase of up to 150 percent above the state’s peak levels last year.

The Health Department on Tuesday reported a pandemic record of 3,057 people hospitalized — a 500 percent increase since the omicron variant emerged seven weeks ago, Hogan said.

“With this new surge of omicron it’s important for Marylanders to go back to using common sense and doing the things that will keep us safe: avoiding crowds, keeping your distance, washing your hands, and yes, once again, wearing the damn masks,” Hogan said.

While the delta variant continues to spread, omicron is driving a rapid rise in cases across the country and straining many hospital systems. In New York, for example, the number of covid-19 hospitalizations has surpassed the state’s peak of last year’s winter wave. New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Maryland are among the states with the highest rates of covid-19 hospitalization per 100,000 residents, according to data tracked by The Washington Post. At 111 patients per 100,000 residents, the District has the highest rate in the country.

Testing positivity rates in the Washington region have soared. Virginia has a seven-day positivity rate of 42 percent, while the District is at 29 percent and Maryland stands at 23 percent, according to The Post’s coronavirus tracker.

In Montgomery County, a highly vaccinated jurisdiction where new daily cases have tripled since Christmas, officials are rushing to implement additional precautions.

County Executive Marc Elrich (D), who tested positive for the coronavirus over the New Year’s weekend, has proposed legislation for a “vaccine passport” similar to the one introduced in D.C., which would require anyone 12 or older to show proof of coronavirus vaccination to enter most businesses.

The County Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to keep an indoor mask mandate in place until a review on Jan. 31, overruling a previous regulation that said the mandate would lift automatically when 85 percent of the county’s 1.1 million residents had been fully vaccinated. ...

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