BALTIMORE — For the first time in eight months, Maryland reported zero COVID-19 deaths Sunday, another major milestone in the states efforts to put the COVID- 19 pandemic behind us.
"This is astonishing," said Johns Hopkins pulmonary and critical care doctor Panagis Galiatsatos.
He didn't think this day would come so soon: when there were zero deaths, only 42 new cases statewide and hospitalizations at the lowest level since the pandemic started.
"We’re all celebrating, walking into the hospital floors where I was this weekend, it’s remarkable. It feels like pre-pandemic times," said Galiatsatos. "Knowing where we are at here, massive applause not just to the science but to the community. Science puts out its interventions. At the end of the day, we need to work with the community in an effort to get them to prioritize this and say, 'Yeah this sounds like the right way to get out of this'."
He said it’s also thanks to efforts from trusted entities in the community... from religious institutions to baseball teams.
"We’re all in this together," said Greg Bader, Senior Vice President of Administration and Experience for the Orioles.
The Baltimore Orioles, in partnership with Major League Baseball and the Maryland Department of Health, are holding on-site vaccination clinics 6 days in a row before games.
So Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, if you get vaccinated at Camden Yards, you will get a voucher for 2 free lower-level tickets. They are administering Johnson and Johnson, the single dose vaccine, at Dempseys.
"We want to make the vaccine as accessible to as many people as possible. Camden yards is location that people know about, they know how to get there, it’s easy to get there, plenty of parking. Right by mass transit
More than 73 percent of Maryland adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
You can schedule an appointment online or walk up, and if you get vaccinated in Maryland by July 4th, you are illegible for the state’s $2 million VaxCash promotion.