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Five Takeaways from Hogan’s COVID-19 Press Briefing Tuesday

In a press briefing on Tuesday, Gov. Larry Hogan noted that the anniversary of the first confirmed coronavirus cases in Maryland is approaching.

On Monday, the United States surpassed 500,000 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic. Hogan said the state mourns the loss of all Americans and Marylanders who died of the virus.

Here are five takeaways from Tuesday’s press briefing:

  1. Mass Vaccination Sites: A new mass vaccination site is opening at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore City on Thursday and there are already 10,000 appointments. Hogan said that a fourth staterun vaccination site will open no later than March 11 at Regency Furniture Stadium in Charles County—this site will be supported by FEMA.  Sometime in March, Maryland will launch a statewide pre-registration website to make appointments at state-run mass vaccination sites. Hogan told reporters that the state is open to having a mass vaccination site in Montgomery County, but at this time there are not enough vaccines to do so.
  2. State is Expanding its Surveillance of Coronavirus Variants: The state has entered agreements with the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University “to more than double the state’s surveillance of coronavirus variants to screen more than 10% of cases.” Dr. Jinlene Chan, the acting deputy secretary of the Maryland Department of Health, noted that in Maryland there are more than 60 cases of the UK, Brazil, and South Africa coronavirus variant—the majority of which are the UK variant. As the state continues to study these variants, Chan urged Marylanders to continue wearing a mask.
  3. Expected Approval of Johnson & Johnson Vaccines: Hogan said the White House notified governors to “expect allocations of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine—which is being made here in Maryland—as early as next week.”
  4. Face Coverings Required in Schools: Hogan signed an executive order clarifying that “masks are required for anyone over the age of 5 in any area of school setting where interaction with others is likely.”
  5. Vaccine Fraud on Rise: Hogan urged Marylanders to report vaccine scams to the authorities, saying, “I want to make this very clear: No one can sell you a vaccine, no one can charge you a vaccine, it is free.”

Recap of Hogan Press Briefing By Tweet

Here’s a play-by-play of Hogan’s press briefing in Tweet form:

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