As Maryland Hits 70% Vaccine Milestone, Restrictions Ease
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Memorial Day milestone: 70% of all adults in Maryland have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Also, all of the state's key metrics are declining.
"It's a blessing and we should all take advantage of that," said Dunia Sagastume, who was accompanying her daughter at M&T Bank Stadium as she received her vaccine.
White House Chief of Staff Ronald Klain took to Twitter to congratulate Maryland for being the 12th state to reach this milestone.
In a statement, Gov. Larry Hogan wrote, "It was an ambitious goal, but once again, our healthcare heroes have risen to the occasion, as have millions of Marylanders stepping up to get the vaccine."
"It's basically having reached a threshold for what many people think of as herd immunity," said Dr. Jonathan Thierman, Chief Medical Information Officer for Life Bridge Health.
Thierman said the number of people already vaccinated is high and, as a result, people are resisting the disease quicker than the disease can spread. This is why infection rates are declining.
"The holy grail would be to drive this disease to very very very low levels," he said. "So, continuing to vaccinate would be important. 80% is better than 70%. 90% is better than 80%," Thierman said.
The decline in Covid metrics also allows local jurisdictions to ease restrictions. For example, Anne Arundel County announced Tuesday that staff will return to work on July 5 and that it's reopening all government buildings to the public on July 19.
"It really does make government more efficient, but we have to be deliberate and careful about how we make the transition back," said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman.
Kennedy Hooper is a senior at Towson University, which requires all students and faculty to be vaccinated in time for the fall semester.
"That was my concern, is feeling protected when I go back to school, on campus," Hooper said. "Because I do go to a big campus, there's going to be a lot of students there," she added.
Thierman told WJZ that, in order to maintain this positive trend, it will eventually be important to follow up with either annual or semi-annual booster shots, in accordance with future regulations.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
