ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is expanding his mandate on vaccinations among certain groups of health care workers to include all hospital employees and nursing home staff.
Effective immediately, employees of Maryland nursing homes and hospitals will all be required to show proof of vaccination or submit to regular screening and weekly COVID-19 testing, Hogan said. All employees will be required to get their first shot by Sept.1. Facilities that fail to comply or fail to report their vaccination data will be subject to fines, civil penalties or criminal sanctions, according to the new order.
Overall, 79% of staff at Maryland nursing homes have been vaccinated. According to the Maryland Department of Health, only three of the state's 230 nursing home facilities have vaccinated 100% of their staff, while 33 facilities have above a 90% rate.
Hogan called out 10 nursing homes by name that had below a 55% vaccination rate among staff; none were in the DMV region. The facilities with the worst performance are in Western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore, where vaccination rates among the general public are also lagging behind state averages, the health department says.
While the governor did note that the daily vaccination rate across Maryland has risen by 20% over the past month, he called on the FDA to issue formal approval of the COVID-19 vaccines, calling it the “most significant hurdle to reaching those who are still hesitant.” Hogan also urged the federal government to expedite vaccine approval for children under the age of 12, to help with the back-to-school process.
“We are told that this approval is still months away, but that is simply not soon enough or good enough," Hogan said.
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On Aug. 5, Hogan announced that proof of vaccination would be required for state employees at certain facilities, including all health departments, starting September 1. Those who fail to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination would be required to submit to weekly COVID testing and wearing PPE.
“Those of you unwilling to get vaccinated are willfully and unnecessarily putting yourself and others at risk of hospitalization or death," Hogan said. "You are the ones threatening the freedoms of all the rest of us. The freedom to not wear masks, to keep our businesses open and to get our kids back in school."
Proof of vaccination will be required for state employees at these facilities:
- Maryland Department of Health and state health facilities
- Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services
- Department of Juvenile Services
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Other state congregant living facilities as identified by the Secretary of the Department of Health
Unlike his counterpart in D.C., Hogan has not reinstated an indoor mask mandate, though many counties in the local region have chosen to do so, including Montgomery and Prince George's counties.