Saturday, October 12, 2024 | Baltimore, MD
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Commentary

‘Normalcy’ is still a long ways off, despite COVID vaccine rollout

To say we were overjoyed after we were each vaccinated against COVID-19 would be an understatement. As two physicians, one of whom works in the ER and the other of whom works in the medical wards and ICUs, we had spent our shifts watching COVID ravage our patients and worrying that we would contract the virus ourselves. This vaccine marks, to date, the best weapon available to turn the tide against this virus. However, as the vaccine begins to be rolled out to the general public, we do want to remind everyone that this vaccine, while incredible, will not end the threat that COVID poses overnight.

Read More: Baltimore Sun
New environmental scorecard a sign of change in Anne Arundel politics

American carnage is a phrase Donald Trump used in another context. Of course, it is hyperbolic. But the damage to the environmental cause done during the reign of Donald Trump is hard to overstate. He rolled back more than 100 anti-pollution rules, sold off national resources, abandoned enforcement of environmental laws, purged government agencies of scientists and replaced talented technocrats with political hacks. President Joe Biden’s administration will surely do its best to reverse the damage but it will be a lengthy undertaking.

Our Say: Ed Reilly is just messing with your head

Sometimes, lawmakers are just messing with our heads. That must be the explanation for state Sen. Ed Reilly’s non-binding resolution that would ask school systems in Maryland to add “female monthly cycle tracking for adolescent girls” to the school health curriculum. Reilly, whose views on reproductive health are based partly on his faith, knows this idea isn’t going anywhere. And even if it did pass, it is unlikely the Maryland Department of Education would add it to the health curriculum for schools.

Covid-19 Vaccine Bottle Mockup (does not depict actual vaccine).
Editorial: Maryland’s vaccine rollout, the ‘Hunger Games’ of health care

If we needed any more indication that the Maryland vaccination rollout has been an utterly, confusing mess, we got news Monday that there may not be enough doses for people to get their second shots. This came on the same day that the state opened up vaccines to yet another group of people (those with certain health conditions who are hospitalized) even as those in earlier groups, those older than age 65 for instance, are still desperately struggling to get an appointment. What sense does that make? Expanding eligibility for vaccines that aren’t available and building up false expectations and anger?

Read More: Baltimore Sun
Peter Franchot: Why Hogan’s COVID Relief Proposal Isn’t Enough

Avid Maryland Matters readers — particularly my colleagues in the legislature — know that for several months I’ve advocated for a Maryland stimulus package that helps Marylanders, small businesses, and communities most impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. For months, I’ve urged Gov. Larry Hogan to tap into the more than $1.5 billion in reserves in the state’s treasury — our $586 million surplus from Fiscal Year 2020 and the almost $1 billion in our Rainy Day Fund — to provide immediate cash assistance to low-income families and struggling small businesses who are barely keeping their heads above water.

Marcus: Trump’s Senate impeachment trial won’t be a waste of time

The Senate impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump promises to be an event entirely lacking in suspense. The verdict seems clear before the first words have been uttered; Trump will be acquitted because not enough Republicans will vote to make up the two-thirds majority needed for conviction. This disappointing reality does not mean the trial will be a waste of time or even counterproductive. To the contrary, as the House prosecutors’ brief filed Tuesday underscored, the magnitude of Trump’s misconduct requires that the Senate proceed regardless of the outcome.

Berlin: Protect Md.’s Children, Override the Governor’s Veto of Ban on Harmful Chlorpyrifos

Do you want your children eating food treated with a chemical linked to learning disabilities, autism, pediatric cancer, pre-term birth, asthma, ADHD and more? Who would possibly say yes? Unfortunately, this brain-damaging pesticide, called chlorpyrifos, is widely applied in the production of fruits, vegetables, nuts and other conventionally grown crops — even though it has been found to damage children’s brain development.

Zurawik: Time shift of Hogan’s State of the State speech looks to be more about politics than the pandemic

Gov. Larry Hogan has cast his decision to break with tradition Wednesday and deliver the annual State of the State speech at 7 p.m., rather than noon, as part of a reaction to new demands caused by COVID-19. While almost everything these days is legitimately a reaction to the pandemic at least in part, the question is: How much of the move is actually about politics by someone who looks more and more like he wants to be president?

Read More: Baltimore Sun
The COVID-19 vaccines are not short on science

As an infectious disease physician, I spend my days understanding and treating illnesses that spread in our communities. With COVID-19, many of my colleagues and public health professionals have fought diligently as this highly contagious and serious illness ravaged our nation. I personally have cared for many patients with the disease, and sadly, despite outstanding care, some lost their lives. To motivate me and remind me why tireless efforts in fighting COVID-19 must continue, I keep the death notice of a long-time patient in my inbox.

Our View: ‘Irresponsible’ to make the next group eligible with so many older adults yet to be vaccinated

Elected officials are getting angry calls. Health department personnel, too. Thousands of Carroll countians are frustrated, confused and upset that they were in one of the first groups eligible to receive the COVID-19, vaccine yet Maryland has moved past them to the next group. They have good reason for their feelings. County Health Officer Ed Singer called it “irresponsible” that Maryland moved on to group 1C of its vaccine distribution plan last week while so many in 1A and 1B have yet to be vaccinated.

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