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March 4, 2021

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

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Talbot Officials Working to Improve COVID-19 Vaccination Process

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Talbot County’s first attempt to get a general population group signed up for COVID-19 vaccinations has had a few hiccups, but officials are working to improve the process.

On Monday, Maryland moved to Phase 1B in its vaccination plan, which allows residents 75 and older to be vaccinated.

Local health departments, including in Talbot County, are working to get that group signed up for vaccination clinics, with some information tied in to a state registration website over which local agencies have no control.

Talbot County’s first clinic for those 75 and up is set for Friday, Jan. 22, and the 150 slots available were filled within 12-20 minutes after about 200 people were emailed a registration link, health officials said.

“Our fix is to continue scheduling additional clinics that people can register in advance for, and to send out the signup link to a more targeted number of recipients,” Dr. Maria Maguire, the county’s acting health officer, said in a statement. “We also plan to keep pre-registrants informed with regular communications so they know the next steps they should do.

“As this was our first attempt to get a general population group signed up, a mistake was inadvertently made in that process,” Maguire said. “We were trying to get people signed up as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we continue to be extremely limited with our vaccine supply.”

As of 2013, Talbot County had more than 4,000 residents aged 75 and older. Population estimates in 2019 show the county has more than 11,000 residents who are 65 and up.

Maguire announced in a Jan. 14 press release that the health department was ready to move to Phase 1B following Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement that he was accelerating Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.

In addition to residents 75 years of age and older, Phase 1B includes assisted living, group homes and other congregate care facilities, continuity of government officials, high risk incarcerated adults, and K-12 school staff.

Healthcare workers and first responders were in Phase 1A.

“We are only limited by the number of vaccinations supplied,” Maguire said Jan. 14. “We have the capacity to vaccinate everyone in Talbot County in a timely matter.”

Talbot County residents 75 years of age and older must pre-register for their COVID-19 vaccinations on the health department’s website at bit.ly/talbot-75. The health department will then respond to individuals to schedule vaccination clinic appointments.

The health department also is on the process of setting 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.

As of Tues., Jan. 12, the Talbot County Health Department had received 1,700 Moderna vaccinations and had administered 1,132 by Jan. 14. The health department requests vaccinations each week, and has been receiving on average 500 vaccinations per week.

In the email sent late Tuesday afternoon to residents who had pre-registered for a vaccination appointment, the health department noted: “Appointments are extremely limited so if no appointments are available when you try to sign up, please note we will be contacting you again when additional clinics are scheduled.”

For more information about the county’s vaccination plan, go to https://health.maryland.gov/talbotcounty/Pages/Covid-Info.aspx.

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Dec. 11

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Maryland added more than 2,600 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 38 straight days, more than 1,500 cases for 29 days in a row, and more than 2,000 cases for 11 days.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 7.49%. The rate has been more than 5% for 33 consecutive days, more than 6% for 28 straight days, and more than 7% for the past 11 days.

The number of patients currently hospitalized has topped 1,000 for 25 straight days and has been more than 1,500 for 12 consecutive days.

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 10 to 533, according to the county health department

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 3.59%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 228,471, an increase of 2,616 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 51 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,901.

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.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** 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 9 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,729 people hospitalized — 1,313 in acute care and 416 in intensive care.

• Of the 48,199 test results received Dec. 8, 6.75% were positive. The 7-day positivity rate was 7.49%.

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

Additional information

• A total of 4,904,152 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 2,298,689 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 228,471 cases, 23,009 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,910 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the average positivity rate for the five Mid-Shore counties. 

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Dec. 10

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Maryland added more than 3,200 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 37 straight days, more than 1,500 cases for 28 days in a row, and more than 2,000 cases for 10 days.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is 7.71%. The rate has been more than 5% for 32 consecutive days, more than 6% for 27 straight days, and more than 7% for the past 10 days.

The number of patients currently hospitalized has topped 1,000 for 24 straight days and has been more than 1,500 for 11 consecutive days.

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 8 to 523, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 3.80%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 225,855, an increase of 3,202 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 49 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,850.

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.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** 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 1,720 people hospitalized — 1,304 in acute care and 416 in intensive care.

• Of the 49,107 test results received Dec. 8, 7.81% were positive. The 7-day positivity rate was 7.71%.

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

Additional information

• A total of 4,855,955 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 2,284,351 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 225,855 cases, 22,833 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,878 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the average positivity rate for the five Mid-Shore counties. 

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Dec. 9

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Maryland added nearly 2,700 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 36 straight days, more than 1,500 cases for 27 days in a row, and more than 2,000 cases for nine days.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate remained below 8%. The rate has been more than 5% for 31 consecutive days, more than 6% for 26 straight days, and more than 7% for the past nine days.

The number of patients currently hospitalized has topped 1,000 for 23 straight days and has been more than 1,500 for 10 consecutive days.

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 2 to 515, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 3.91%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 222,653, an increase of 2,692 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 46 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,801.

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.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** 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 62 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,715 people hospitalized — 1,299 in acute care and 416 in intensive care.

• Of the 36,013 test results received Dec. 8, 8.98% were positive. The 7-day positivity rate was 7.74%.

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

Additional information

• A total of 4,806,845 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 2,267,585 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 222,653 cases, 22,622 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,833 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the average positivity rate for the five Mid-Shore counties. 

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Dec. 8

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Maryland added more than 2,600 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 35 straight days, more than 1,500 cases for 26 days in a row, and more than 2,000 cases for eight days.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate remained below 8%. The rate has been more than 5% for 30 consecutive days, more than 6% for 25 straight days, and more than 7% for the past eight days.

The number of patients currently hospitalized has topped 1,000 for 22 straight days and has been more than 1,500 for nine consecutive days.

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 3 to 513, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 3.38%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 219,961, an increase of 2,632 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 50 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,755.

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.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** 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 92 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,653 people hospitalized — 1,257 in acute care and 396 in intensive care.

• Of the 40,399 test results received Dec. 6, 8.09% were positive. The 7-day positivity rate was 7.61%.

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

Additional information

• A total of 4,770,832 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 2,254,514 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 219,961 cases, 22,421 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,801 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the average positivity rate for the five Mid-Shore counties. 

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Dec. 7

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Maryland added more than 2,300 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 34 straight days, more than 1,500 cases for 25 days in a row, and more than 2,000 cases for seven days.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate dropped below 8%. The rate has been more than 5% for 29 consecutive days, more than 6% for 24 straight days, and more than 7% for the past seven days.

The number of patients currently hospitalized topped 1,000 for the 21st straight day and has been more than 1,500 for eight consecutive days.

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 3 to 510, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 4.55%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 217,329, an increase of 2,302 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 20 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,705.

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.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** 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 15 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,561 people hospitalized — 1,173 in acute care and 388 in intensive care.

• Of the 44,955 test results received Dec. 6, 6.89% were positive. The 7-day positivity rate was 7.89%.

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

Additional information

• A total of 4,730,432 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 2,240,700 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 217,329 cases, 22,259 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,797 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the average positivity rate for the five Mid-Shore counties. 

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Dec. 6

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Maryland added more than 2,600 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 33 straight days and has had more than 1,500 cases for 24 days in a row.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate remains above 8% for the third day. The rate has been more than 5% for 28 consecutive days, more than 6% for 23 straight days, and more than 7% for the past six days.

The number of patients currently hospitalized topped 1,000 for the 20th straight day and has been more than 1,500 for seven consecutive days.

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 7 to 507, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 7.22%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 215,027, an increase of 2,643 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 26 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,685.

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.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** 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 22 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,576 people hospitalized — 1,183 in acute care and 393 in intensive care.

• Of the 48,246 test results received Dec. 5, 6.74% were positive. The 7-day positivity rate was 8.14%.

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

Additional information

• A total of 4,685,476 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 2,225,595 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 215,027 cases, 22,095 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,785 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the average positivity rate for the five Mid-Shore counties. 

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Dec. 5

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Maryland added nearly 3,200 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours. The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 32 straight days and has had more than 1,500 cases for 23 days in a row.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate topped  8%. The rate has been more than 5% for 27 consecutive days, more than 6% for 22 straight days, and more than 7% for the past five days.

The number of patients currently hospitalized topped 1,000 for the 19th straight day and has been more than 1,500 for six consecutive days.

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 14 to 500, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 7.15%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 212,384, an increase of 3,193 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 4,659.

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.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** 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 4 over the la9st 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,598 people hospitalized — 1,219 in acute care and 37 in intensive care.

• Of the 53,902 test results received Dec. 4, 7.17% were positive. The 7-day positivity rate was 8.04%.

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

Additional information

• A total of 4,637,128 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 2,210,796 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 212,384 cases, 21,912 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,780 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the average positivity rate for the five Mid-Shore counties. 

Last Chance to Apply as Talbot County Allocates More Funds for CARES Grants

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Those businesses and nonprofit organizations that have not already received a grant of up to $10,000 from the Talbot CARES Emergency Relief Small Business Grant program have one last chance to apply.

“Talbot County has reinvested more than $1.1 million of its CARES funding into the business community,” Cassandra Vanhooser, director of the Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism, said in a statement. “With the files we currently have under review, we are on track to distribute the entire $1.2 million allocated for small businesses by the first week of December.”

By law, funds from the CARES Act must be distributed by Dec. 31. Unused funds must be returned to the State of Maryland.

When county officials recently tallied receipts, they realized that not all of the money would be spent by the deadline. Vanhooser advocated for some of the money to be transferred into the grant program for small businesses.

Additional Grant Funding Available

“I get calls almost every day from business owners asking for assistance, and I was having to tell people that our money had been distributed,” Vanhooser said. “Thankfully, we were fortunate enough to receive an additional $250,000 of the money the county received from the CARES Act.”

Any business or nonprofit with less than 50 employees that hasn’t yet received a grant and can show a 25% loss of revenue caused by COVID-19 is eligible to apply. But the clock is ticking.

If you are planning to apply, you must act quickly. The department began accepting new submissions online Nov. 30. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until 5 p.m. Dec. 11. Every file is dated and time stamped and will be considered in the order received.

The requirements are fairly straightforward, Vanhooser said. But it is absolutely essential that anyone who plans to apply have complete financial documents ready before they apply.

Application Requirements

Businesses must be in good standing with the State of Maryland, and they must not owe any taxes. In addition, businesses must submit the following:

• a completed application;

• comparative monthly profit and loss statement for 2019 and 2020;

• most recent business tax returns; and

• a signed W-9 IRS Form

Grant recipients may use the money to offset business losses caused by the pandemic. Qualifying expenditures include rent or mortgage payments, utilities, inventory, personal protective equipment, enhanced cleaning protocols, and upgrades designed to limit person-to-person contact. Each business that receives a grant must also submit a final report detailing how it spent the funds.

“This money has an expiration date,” County Council President Corey Pack said in a statement. “Talbot County has until Dec. 30 to disperse the remainder of the CARES funding. We encourage any business that still needs assistance and has not yet applied to get their application in as soon as possible.”

The Talbot County Department of Economic Development and Tourism and the Talbot County Finance Office together are administering the program. An online application form can be found at TalbotWorks.org, along with information about other business resources. For more information, call 410-770-8000.

Spy COVID-19 Daily Update Dec. 4

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Maryland added nearly 3,800 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, the highest one-day increase in cases since the pandemic began and the first time that number has exceeded 3,000.

The state has had more than 1,000 new COVID-19 cases daily for 31 straight days and has had more than 1,500 cases for 22 days in a row.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate hit 8% for the first time since June 4. The rate has been more than 5% for 26 consecutive days, more than 6% for 21 straight days, and more than 7% for the past four days.

The number of patients currently hospitalized topped 1,000 for the 18th straight day and has been more than 1,500 for five consecutive days.

Key points for today

• Kent County COVID-19 cases increased by 14 to 486, according to the county health department.

• The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 7.17%.

• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Maryland is now at 209,191, an increase of 3,792 in the last 24 hours.

• In the last 24 hours, 24 people died as a result of COVID-19, bringing the state’s total to 4,630.

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.

* Maryland and Cecil County report the total released from isolation.

** 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 21 over the last 24 hours.

• There currently are 1,594 people hospitalized — 1,227 in acute care and 367 in intensive care.

• Of the 55,939 test results received Dec. 3, 8.27% were positive. The 7-day positivity rate was 8%.

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

Additional information

• A total of 4,583,228 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 2,194,096 people have tested negative.

• Of the state’s 209,191 cases, 21,756 patients have ever been hospitalized for treatment; 8,751 have been released from isolation.

The graph below shows the average positivity rate for the five Mid-Shore counties.