With the highly-contagious “Delta” variant spreading in growing numbers, national health experts have said that “red state” resistance to vaccination efforts poses a potentially broad threat to public health. “Some of these locations that are more distant are less inclined to grasp the need for the common, community good and lean more towards individual freedom, liberty, choices, and more of a Libertarian streak,” he said. Clarence Lam (D-Howard), a physician and a member of the vaccination oversight panel, said in an interview that it’s “no surprise” that rural communities, where notions of “rugged individualism” are not uncommon, continue to lag behind. The patterns mirror a Maryland Matters analysis conducted in April. Seven of the eight went for Trump in November, and the 8th, Kent, went for Biden by a narrow margin, 49% to 48%. Counties that went for Biden have a first-dose average of 58.0%.Īnalysts in the Department of Legislative Services found that eight counties have both historically low vaccination rates and low “recent” vaccination rates, a potential sign of entrenched resistance. Seven of Maryland’s nine most-vaccinated counties, and 10 of its 15 most-vaccinated subdivisions, were carried by Joe Biden in November.īy contrast, the nine least-vaccinated counties were all carried by Donald Trump.Ĭounties that Trump won have an average first-dose rate of 48.1% of their population. Health department staff are poring through survey data to determine why vaccine hesitancy remains a problem, he added.Īround the U.S., health experts continue to track a red-blue divide in vaccination rates, with states that former President Trump carried lagging behind those won by President Biden.Ī Maryland Matters analysis of the state’s health data revealed a similar pattern. The state is one of just three states - Vermont and South Dakota are the others - to see cases drop to below one for every 100,000 residents, Schrader said. Maryland has administered more than 6.8 million vaccinations, representing 72% of the 12-and-older population and 91% of seniors. “There are approximately 1.4 million Marylanders 12 and older who are still unvaccinated and remain in serious risk of contracting and being hospitalized by COVID-19,” he told the panel. The state’s overall coronavirus picture is significantly improved in recent months, with deaths, hospitalizations and case-counts plummeting, thanks largely to Maryland’s robust vaccination efforts, officials said.īut Schrader told the state Senate’s Vaccination Workgroup that since May 10, unvaccinated people account for 97% of the COVID-19 caseload, 89% of the hospitalizations and 89% of the deaths. The numbers - which Schrader called “very sobering” - serve as a reminder that going unvaccinated is dangerous and that the pandemic is not over. Marylanders who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 account for nearly all of the state’s recent coronavirus infections, hospitalizations and deaths, Health Secretary Dennis R. Photo from the Executive Office of the Governor. 233 fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 8.36% of lab-confirmed Covid deaths in the state.A vaccine dose is prepared at a mass vaccination site in St. Of those cases, 1,842 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 10.8% of all Covid cases hospitalized in the state. Less than 0.71% of fully vaccinated Marylanders have later tested positive. There have been 25,476 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of last Wednesday, October 13. In August, the state launched a post-vaccination infections dashboard that is updated every Wednesday. "We have achieved these numbers with strong public health outreach, innovative lottery and scholarship promotions, and a relentless focus on equity." "Thanks to the millions of Marylanders who have rolled up their sleeves over the past 10 months, Maryland is one of the most vaccinated states in America," said Governor Hogan. The state reported 85.2% of all adults in Maryland have received at least one dose of the vaccine. The state has administered 214,322 additional or booster vaccine doses, 7,247 in the last day. Hogan had already approved use for vulnerable populations in early September. Hogan announced the immediate authorization of the booster shot for Marylanders who have received their second Pfizer shot at least six months ago. On September 24, after the CDC granted final approval for Pfizer's booster, Gov. The state began to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again in April after the CDC and FDA lifted their pause on the vaccine due to a rare blood clot found in some women.Ī total of 307,953 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 263 in the last day.
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