By Liz Holland

With a rising number of Covid-19 cases in recent weeks, Wicomico County Public Schools is now requiring all staff, students and visitors to wear masks in indoor spaces.

The new rule went into effect Aug. 11. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Donna Hanlin said the school system will continually evaluate the Covid-19 health metrics for Wicomico County, and revisit the masking rules if the Covid numbers drop to low or moderate levels rather than substantial or high, which is the current level.

Students return to their classrooms starting the day after Labor Day.

Salisbury Mayor Jake Day said he and other city officials also are looking at implementing new requirements for employees and visitors to city buildings and offices to help prevent further spread of the virus, but they are still under consideration.

“We’re certainly not ready to announce anything yet,” he said.

However, a vaccine mandate for city employees is “not on the table,” nor are masking requirements or other rules for local businesses, Day said.

Officials at TidalHealth reported that 29 Covid patients had been admitted last week, bringing the total number of admitted Covid patients to 43. None had been vaccinated.

The hospital Emergency Department also treated and then discharged 47 additional Covid patients last week.

Of all the Covid-19 patients admitted to TidalHealth in 2021 so far, only 1.08 percent were fully vaccinated.

With increased cases and requests from the community, the Wicomico County Health Department has reopened the Covid-19 Call Center. The center will operate Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will have general information about Covid-19, testing locations, and vaccine clinics. Community members can contact the call center at (410) 341-4600.

Anyone looking for vaccine providers can make an appointment at covidvax.maryland.gov. Vaccines also are available through local pharmacies and some doctor’s offices. Here are upcoming vaccinations clinics in Wicomico County:

•         Friday, Aug. 20 -- 1 to 3 p.m., Wicomico Civic Center.
•         Saturday, Aug. 21 ­-- 5:30 to 8 p.m., Perdue Stadium.
•         Monday, Aug. 30 -- 9 to 11 a.m., Wicomico Civic Center.     

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers Wicomico County an area of high transmission, so the health department recommends:

•         Wearing a mask indoors and when in crowded areas, regardless of vaccination status.
•         Getting vaccinated. For local clinic dates and times, visit wicomicohealth.org.
•         Getting tested and following quarantine guidelines if experiencing Covid-19 symptoms.

             For more information on Covid-19, visit the CDC website at www.cdc.gov or the Maryland Department of Health at coronavirus.marylan.gov.

The Wicomico County Health Department will continue to share Covid-19 updates on wicomicohealth.org, Facebook, Instagram (WicomicoHealth) or Twitter (@WicomicoHealth).  

 Latest numbers

 As of Monday, Wicomico County has had 8,316 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 180 deaths. Health officials also reported that 45,503 county residents have received the first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, 40,931 have gotten a second dose and 3,953 got a Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine.

The patient count in Somerset is now 2,714 with 42 deaths. First doses of vaccine have gone to 10,174 residents, 8,818 have gotten second doses and 1,003 got single doses.

Additional cases have also been confirmed in Worcester County, which now reports 3,938 people as having the virus and 105 deaths. So far 30,055 people have gotten their first shots, 27,320 had a second dose and 2,495 got a single dose.

Dorchester County counts 3,060 cases, 64 deaths, 14,402 first doses of vaccine, 12,803 second shots and 2,174 single doses. There are 2,432 reported cases in Caroline County with 31 deaths, 13,459 first vaccinations, 12,176 second doses and 3,006 single doses.

Statewide in Maryland, 480,718 cases have been confirmed, with 9,675 confirmed deaths and 221 probable deaths. The current hospitalization totals of people with the virus stands at 576. The number of people in intensive care is 129.

Across Maryland, more than 3.8 million people have tested negative for the virus.

As of Monday, the state has administered more than 7.35 million doses of vaccine, with more than 3.6 million people now fully vaccinated and 79.3 percent of the population with at least one dose.

Nationally, there are now more than 36.6 million cases with 621,636 deaths. Roughly 168.1 million people in the U.S. – 51 percent of the population -- are fully vaccinated.