By Liz Holland

State officials are offering the chance of winning part of $2 million from the Maryland Lottery to entice more people to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

The $2 Million VaxCash Promotion will award $40,000 each day from May 25 through July 3 to one randomly drawn state resident who has been vaccinated. The promotion wraps up on the Fourth of July when a final drawing will award one winner a grand prize of $400,000, Gov. Larry Hogan announced last week.

“Go out and get vaccinated to protect yourself, your family, your friends, and your fellow Marylanders,” said Hogan. “And if you needed one more good reason, then go out and get vaccinated for your chance to win a share of this $2 million. So remember, Maryland — get your shot for a shot to win.”

The Lottery will work in close collaboration with the Maryland Department of Health on the promotion. Each Maryland resident age 18 or older who has been vaccinated in Maryland will be randomly assigned a number in a secure system maintained by MDH, which serves as the custodian of Maryland’s vaccination records.

Separately, the Lottery will use a random number generator to select a winning number each day from the total number of people who have been vaccinated.

MDH will notify the winners, who must provide written consent of their willingness to accept the prize. Then, the Lottery will contact the winners with instructions on how to claim. Winners will be permitted to remain anonymous, but will certainly be encouraged to share their stories.

Prizes will be paid directly from the Lottery’s marketing budget, and will not at all diminish the Lottery’s contribution to the Maryland General Fund.

 Vaccination sites

 As another incentive to get vaccinated, Evolution Craft Brewing has teamed up with local health officials to offer a Shot and a Beer event this Friday, May 28, from noon to 6 p.m. No appointment is necessary. Just show up at the public house on Vine Street in Salisbury to get a Covid-19 vaccination and a free beer.

The mass vaccination site at the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center remains open on Tuesdays from noon to 8 p.m., and Wednesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Walk-ins are welcome, but residents also can pre-register at covidvax.maryland.gov or by calling 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829). Teens younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

The Wicomico County Health Department also is continuing vaccination clinics and Covid-19 testing. Visit wicomicohealth.org for more information.

Additionally, TidalHealth and 15 local pharmacies also are offering Covid-19 vaccinations. To make an appointment or to find a vaccination site visit covidvax.maryland.gov or call 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829).

 Positivity rate drops

 Hogan announced Tuesday that Maryland’s statewide Covid-19 positivity rate has dropped below 2 percent for the first time during the pandemic — another major milestone in the state’s fight against Covid-19.

Maryland reported 160 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Tuesday—the first time fewer than 200 new cases have been reported since March 30, 2020, and the lowest number since March 26, 2020. The state’s rate of cases per 100,000 dropped to 5.32—the lowest level since April 4, 2020.

The state’s Covid-19 hospitalizations declined to 442 — the lowest level since October 19, 2020.

Maryland is now reporting 5,936,293 total vaccinations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 68.3 percent of Maryland adults have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, outpacing the national rate of 61.5 percent, and putting the state well on track to surpass President Biden’s goal of 70 percent of adults vaccinated by Independence Day.

 Latest numbers

 As of Tuesday, May 25, Wicomico County has had 7,641 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 153 deaths. Health officials also reported that 38,275 county residents have received the first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, 32,693 have gotten a second dose and 2,962 got a Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine.

The patient count in Somerset is now 2,608 with 38 deaths. First doses of vaccine have gone to 8,419 residents, 6,738 have gotten second doses and 720 got single doses.

Additional cases have also been confirmed in Worcester County, which now reports 3,620 people as having the virus and 98 deaths. So far 25,967 people have gotten their first shots, 21,936 had a second dose and 2,036 got a single dose.

No new deaths were reported over the past week in the three Lower Shore counties.

Dorchester County counts 2,821 cases, 50 deaths, 11,954 first doses of vaccine, 10,091 second shots and 1,886 single doses. There are 2,334 reported cases in Caroline County with 25 deaths, 11,140 first vaccinations, 9,690 second doses and 2,593 single doses.

Statewide in Maryland, 458,650 cases have been confirmed, with 8,838 confirmed deaths and 191 probable deaths. The current hospitalization totals of people with the virus stands at 442, down from 613 last week. The number of people in intensive care is 118, a drop from 159 the previous week.

As of Tuesday, the state has administered more than 5.9 million doses of vaccine, with more than 2.78 million people now fully vaccinated.

Across Maryland, more than 3.4 million people have tested negative for the virus.

Nationally, there are now more than 33.1 million cases with 590,738 deaths. Roughly 130.6 million people in the U.S. – 39.79 percent of the population -- are fully vaccinated.