Maryland and Virginia’s governors are adjusting expectations about how many doses of a coronavirus vaccine each state will receive by the end of the year.
Several governors have said that half as many Pfizer-BioNTech shots as expected are going to be delivered in the next few weeks, CNBC reported.
The Virginia Department of Health is now expecting about 100,000 fewer doses this month, the agency said Friday.
“The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) was informed late yesterday by Operation Warp Speed that, like other states, Virginia’s estimated allocation of COVID-19 vaccine doses will be less than initially planned for the next few weeks,” a statement read.
Virginia is preparing to receive 370,650 doses from Pfizer and Moderna this month, down from 480,000 anticipated previously, the Virginia Department of Health said.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that officials are “trying to get to the bottom” of a potential reduction in the number of vaccines shipped this month.
“[It’s] not apparently going to impact our first batches, for the first week or two, which were the only ones that were really cast in stone,” Hogan said.
The federal government promised the state 300,000 doses by the end of the year, Hogan said.
“Hopefully that’s still going to be the case,” Hogan said.
On Fridays, states are supposed to get confirmation how many vaccines what will ship the following Monday. Vaccine doses go directly to health care providers, Hogan said.
“Every single hospital in the state and every single region and every single nursing home will have them by next week,” Hogan said.
Hogan also said Maryland will give 8,000 vaccines to D.C. so residents working in District hospitals can get shots.
DC Health didn’t immediately respond to a request for the latest expected vaccine numbers.
D.C. is set to suspend indoor dining starting Dec. 23 and continuing until sometime after Jan. 1, multiple sources say.
Mayor Muriel Bowser is planning to issue an order within the next few days that will prohibit indoor dining over the Christmas and New Year's holidays, multiple sources told News4's Mark Segraves.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is stressing the importance of being careful as we fight the pandemic this holiday season.
“You are safer at home,” Hogan said during a news conference announcing new restrictions Thursday.
The state lowered the gathering limit from 25 people to 10 people.
Travel is limited to essential purposes only by executive order. Maryland residents who travel out of state, and people who come into Maryland, must get a negative COVID-19 test or self-quarantine for 10 days.
The governor’s order took effect Thursday.
Prince George's County is rolling out a campaign targeted at getting its residents comfortable with a vaccine as it deals with a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Community health experts say many African-Americans — who are among the most impacted by the virus — don't trust the vaccine.
The "Proud to be Protected" campaign has a goal to vaccinate 65-70% of Prince George's County residents.
County Executive Angela Alsobrooks says she has started by talking with her own family.
The first in a series of tele-town halls began Thursday night to help get the word out. Alsobrooks says that with the right information, the public will do the right thing.
What the Data Shows
The spread of coronavirus appears to be slowing in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, but hospitalizations continue to trend upwards.
In D.C., the seven-day average of new cases has fallen from an all-time high point of 287 on Dec. 9 to 250 on Friday.
Maryland recorded 2,569 new coronavirus cases on Friday, which is lower than average for the month of December so far. Hospitalizations, however, are still on the rise.
A total of 2,075 Marylanders are in hospitals being treated for COVID-19 on Friday, the highest number since the pandemic began.
Virginia’s 2,277 coronavirus cases counted Friday is also lower than the average for this month. Hospitalizations have fallen slightly from an all-time high on Tuesday. Now, 1,686 Virginians are hospitalized with COVID-19.
Local Coronavirus Headlines
- The stress of the pandemic is a grind. A data analysis from the American Dental Association shows a surge in cases of teeth grinding, clenching and cracking during the COVID-19 crisis. The increases are striking and potentially costly and painful for sufferers.
- All Maryland hospitals are expected to receive some COVID-19 vaccines in the next two weeks to begin vaccinating critical frontline staff, a state health official said Tuesday.
- A professor is using the trust Black Americans have in barbers to make them more comfortable with taking the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Meet "The First Five," the group of D.C. emergency responders who will be the first members of the D.C. Fire and EMS Department to get the COVID-19 vaccine this coming week.
- A rapid antigen test might seem like a great idea when you're in a hurry and don't have time to wait a few days for results, but those tests are really designed for people with COVID-19 symptoms and in asymptomatic patients can deliver false positive results.
- News4 has obtained a list of two dozen Maryland hospitals expected to receive the first shipment of Pfizer vaccines once it receives emergency authorization from the Food and Drug Administration.
- Health officials in Virginia say they'll likely have to scale back on contact tracing because coronavirus transmission levels are rising so high.
- Help is available for thousands of D.C. residents who have fallen behind on rent payments.
- D.C. Public Schools is preparing for an ambitious pilot program in which it will regularly test some students and staff for the coronavirus.
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced measures to boost the number of available health care workers and plan for more hospital beds.
- COVID-19 numbers continue to paint a dire picture for Black Americans, and there is an ongoing effort in the Black community to increase testing.
Reopening Tracker
- D.C. is set to suspend indoor dining starting Dec. 23 and continuing until sometime after Jan. 1, multiple sources say.
- Virginia instituted a curfew and a stricter mask mandate.
- Montgomery County's executive has proposed suspending indoor dining, tighter capacity limits at religious institutions and other new restrictions that would take effect 5 p.m. Tuesday, if approved by the county council.
- Maryland tightened restrictions on businesses, bars and restaurants.
- All Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo closed because of rising COVID-19 cases, officials announced.
- Hours before some Fairfax County students were set to return to in-person learning, the school district said that they needed to delay the plan.
- Courts throughout Maryland partially shut down due to the pandemic.
- Virginia announced new measures to fight COVID-19 as cases of the virus have spiked across the country.
- Prince George's County tightened restrictions and required masks to be worn outdoors.
- Montgomery County reduced capacity limits at many businesses, including for indoor dining, to 25%. The county previously stopped giving waivers for alcohol sales after 10 p.m.
- D.C.'s mayor extended the city's coronavirus state of emergency to last through the end of the year.
How to Stay Safe
There are ways to lower your risk of catching coronavirus. Here are guidelines from the CDC:
- Wear a snug-fitting mask that covers your nose and mouth.
- Avoid being indoors with people who are not members of your household. The more people you are in contact with, the more likely you are to be exposed to COVID-19. If you are indoors with people you don’t live with, stay at least six feet apart and keep your mask on.
- Wash your hands often, especially after you have been in a public place.
