By Liz Holland

The Salisbury Area Chamber of Commerce is organizing a “shot and a beer” event at Evolution Craft Brewing as a way to get younger people vaccinated against Covid-19.

Gov. Larry Hogan is expected to attend the event planned for Friday, May 28. The exact times are still to be determined, but it will likely start in the afternoon, said Bill Chambers, the Chamber’s President and CEO.

Chambers said he heard of “shot and a beer” events in other states and decided to give it a try here. He approached Evo owner John Knorr and Hogan, and both loved the idea as a way to attract younger residents, some of whom have an aversion to the vaccine.

“It’s going to be cool,” he said. “This is a great way to engage the younger generation.”

Anyone who gets a Covid-19 shot that day will get an Evo coupon for a beer that they can use that day or at a later date.

Chambers is trying to put the word out in the Baltimore-Washington area in hopes of attracting people headed to area beaches for the Memorial Day weekend.

“Hopefully it will lead to a good turnout,” he said.

 Mask mandate lifted

 Last week, Hogan announced the end of the statewide mask mandate, aligning Maryland with new guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This order took effect Saturday, May 15, along with the lifting of all capacity limits and restrictions that the governor announced earlier last week.

“Today is the day that so many of us have been waiting for and working toward,” Hogan said. “We finally do clearly see the light at the end of that tunnel. Our long, hard-fought battle against the worst global pandemic in more than a century is finally nearing an end. As we reflect on the hard work and the many sacrifices that it has taken to finally reach this point, we say thank you to the countless Marylanders who helped us get here.”

In alignment with CDC guidance, face coverings will still be required on public transportation, and in schools, child care and health care settings.

The Maryland Department of Health has issued a public health advisory strongly recommending that all non-vaccinated individuals over the age of 2 years continue to wear face coverings in all indoor settings and in outdoor settings where physical distancing cannot be maintained.

Private businesses and workplaces are free to put in place their own policies or guidance. Local jurisdictions are free to use their own emergency powers on these matters.

 Numbers decease

 This week, Hogan announced that the state is reporting its lowest number of new Covid-19 cases since March 30, 2020. In addition, the state’s seven-day positivity rate has matched its lowest level on record.

The state’s case rate has dropped to 6.65 per 100,000 — the lowest level since July 6, 2020 — and has declined by 71.7 percent since mid-April. The number of new confirmed cases — 212 — is the lowest since March 30, 2020.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate dropped to 2.51 percent — matching its lowest level, which was recorded on Sept. 24, 2020.

The number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in Maryland — 613 — is down by more than half since April 20.

Maryland is reporting 5,572,782 Covid-19 vaccinations, and according to the CDC, 66.5 percent of Maryland adults have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. The state is outpacing the national rate of 58 percent.

Marylanders can get vaccinated by walking in or scheduling an appointment at any of the state’s 13 mass vaccination sites, or at one of more than 700 pharmacies, or through a local hospital or health department, by visiting covidvax.maryland.gov or by calling 1-855-MD-GOVAX (1-855-634-6829).

 Latest numbers

 As of Tuesday, Wicomico County has had 7,584 confirmed cases of Covid-19 with 153 deaths. Health officials also reported that 36,769 county residents have received the first dose of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, 31,747 have gotten a second dose and 2,685 got a Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine.

The patient count in Somerset is now 2,576 with 38 deaths. First doses of vaccine have gone to 8,086 residents, 6,255 have gotten second doses and 654 got single doses.

Additional cases have also been confirmed in Worcester County, which now reports 3,610 people as having the virus and 98 deaths. So far 25,204 people have gotten their first shots, 21,169 had a second dose and 1,935 got a single dose.

Dorchester County counts 2,794 cases, 50 deaths, 11,515 first doses of vaccine, 9,544 second shots and 1,837 single doses. There are 2,314 reported cases in Caroline County with 25 deaths, 10,763 first vaccinations, 9,115 second doses and 2,530 single doses.

Statewide in Maryland, 456,428 cases have been confirmed, with 8,754 confirmed deaths and 192 probable deaths. The current hospitalization totals of people with the virus stands at 613. The number of people in intensive care is 159.

As of Tuesday, the state has administered more than 5.6 million doses of vaccine, with more than 2.59 million people now fully vaccinated.

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

 ationally, there are now more than 32.9 million cases with 586,471 deaths. Roughly 123.8 million people in the U.S. -- 37.7 percent of the population -- are fully vaccinated.