COVID-19 In Maryland: More Than 1K New Cases & 17 Deaths Reported Sunday
April 19, 2021 -

Maryland added 1,169 new coronavirus cases and 17 deaths as hospitalizations increased on Sunday. Hospitalizations went up by 43 to 1,252. Of those, 304 people are in ICU beds and 948 are in acute care. The state’s positivity rate went down slightly to 5.61% The state conducted 33,132 coronavirus tests in the last day. Since the pandemic began in the state there have been 436,028 confirmed COVID-19 cases. At this time, 8,376 Marylanders have died.

Read More: WJZ-TV
Video of BCPS Board meetings shows profanity, pornography, verbal altercations
April 16, 2021 -

A video of Baltimore County School Board meetings is making the rounds on social media. The video comes with a warning label and, as of Thursday afternoon, has been viewed 13,000 times. “To hear pornographic sounds during a meeting, to have f-bombs dropped during meetings, to have verbal altercations on the meetings — its just inappropriate and these are the people that are supposedly helping our children,” said parent Dave Patrick.

Read More: WBFF
After a year of COVID-related isolation, Baltimore Muslims thankful for drive-thru dinner to break Ramadan fast
April 16, 2021 -

It’s 2 1/2 hours before sunset, a drizzle is falling under gloomy skies, and the cars are lined up by the dozen in the parking lot of the Islamic Society of Baltimore. Drivers and passengers, many wearing headscarves or skullcaps, wait in minivans, luxury sedans and old beaters for a signal to move forward. On reaching the entrance to the mosque, they’ll be handed fresh, boxed meals to take home to their families. It’s a coronavirus-era version of the communal ceremonial dinner known as iftar, a nightly observance for Muslims during Ramadan, a holy month that began Monday.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
‘Deeply concerning’: Baltimore City emerging as a COVID hot spot; officials urge vigilance
April 16, 2021 -

Cases of COVID-19 in Baltimore City have spiked in recent weeks, outpacing every county in Maryland and rivaling an infection level not recorded since the winter peak. The reasons aren’t entirely clear, but state and local data suggest the pandemic could worsen still in the city before it gets better this summer as vaccinations against the disease continue. Cases and hospitalizations are rising in the state generally, though remain well below their mid-January peak, and state and local health officials are cautioning people to wear masks, practice social distancing and get tested after traveling or if they think they’ve been exposed.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
‘It puts people’s minds at ease’: UMBC using Maryland-made COVID-detection device in labs, classrooms, dorms
April 16, 2021 -

After a visitor to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Performing Arts & Humanities Concert Hall tested positive for COVID-19 last week, Mike Pound wheeled a lab cart carrying a printer-sized device with a large megaphone-like attachment into the room. The BioFlash, a Maryland-made technology, sucked in an air sample, which passed over a compact disc-like biosensor containing a COVID-19 antibody. In a matter of minutes, a small digital panel on the side read: “Test complete — No agents detected.” The room was cleared for class to take place the next day.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
COVID-19 In Maryland: Two More Mass Vaccination Sites Open Monday
April 12, 2021 -

Two more mass vaccination sites will open Monday in Maryland at Frederick Community College and at the Navy-Corps Memorial Stadium. This comes as Maryland added 1,483 new COVID-19 cases Sunday with 11 new confirmed deaths reported, according to data from the State Department of Health. The state has recorded 426,730 cases since the beginning of the pandemic and 8,269 deaths, up 11 from Saturday. Hospitalizations stand at 1,240, down 10 from the last day. Of those, there are 279 in ICU beds and 961 in acute care.

Read More: WJZ-TV
Maryland is expanding preregistration for the COVID vaccine. Here’s what you need to know.
April 7, 2021 -

Everyone in Maryland who is 16 or older will be eligible next week to get the coronavirus vaccine at any site offering shots in the state, Gov. Larry Hogan said Monday. And people 16 and older can get shots this week, starting Tuesday, at the state’s five mass vaccination sites. The state will require the hundreds of other vaccine providers in Maryland to offer shots to adults and older teenagers, a total of almost 4.9 million people, as of April 12.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
New rankings: Hopkins, University of Maryland grad programs earn three top spots
March 30, 2021 -

Johns Hopkins University is home to the top graduate-level surgery, radiology, anesthesiology, biomedical engineering, public health and nursing masters programs in the country, according to new rankings from U.S. News & World Report. Hopkins’ School of Nursing held onto its No. 1 spot among 220 master of nursing programs nationwide in the 2022 Best Graduate Schools rankings. Its doctor of nursing program also rose one spot to No. 2, behind Rush University and ahead of about 160 other schools.

Read More: Baltimore Business Journal
Rx for Rural Health | Lack of insurance, poverty, drug abuse lead to dental problems
March 29, 2021 -

While rates of emergency department visits for dental conditions are lowering in Maryland among people younger than age 65, numbers are on the rise for senior citizens. Dr. Diane Romaine recently cited that data from the Maryland Health Services Cost Review Commission, and several other statistics that show an inequity of dental care for folks of a certain age. Nationally, “70% of people age 65 and older … have no dental benefit,” she said.

Read More: Cumberland Times-News
D.C. and Maryland say that schools can shrink social distancing to 3 fee
March 26, 2021 -

Top officials in the District and Maryland announced Thursday that they would embrace CDC guidelines and advise schools that they can operate with three feet of social distance between students in classrooms instead of the previously recommended six feet. This move would allow schools to accommodate more students in person at a time when demand for in-person learning outstrips the supply of available seats in the region. But how significantly plans for this school year will change is uncertain.

Read More: Washington Post