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Prince George County, Maryland County Director Angela Alsobrooks and County Deputy Administrative Director Dr. George Askew provided an update on COVID-19 vaccines and more on Wednesday.
Children between the ages of 2 and 5 will be required to wear masks indoors in Prince George County, Md., County Director Angela Alsobrooks said on Wednesday.
The county mask warrant previously covered people up to the age of 5.
“As a parent, I know it’s not easy to hide young children,” Alsobrooks said, but the increase in COVID-19 cases in young children means “we’re just going to have to make it more”.
She said the overall numbers looked better for the county since July: the test positivity rate was down to 3.3%, while the infection rate – the average number of people each infected person infects – s ‘rises to 0.93, a sign that the virus is receding, is not spreading. And the daily case rate is 12 per 100,000 people, up from more than 20 at the end of August.
Dr George Askew, the county’s deputy administrative director for health, social services and education, said he expects the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to downgrade the county’s community spread status from ” high “to” substantial “later this week.
Askew added that he and Alsobrooks had received comments from parents angry at the difficulty of hiding children, but said “we get as much if not more” such comments from parents who are upset as children in daycares and other establishments are not. t hidden.
Vaccines
Alsobrooks said she would consider incentives to increase the percentage of county workers who are vaccinated, especially because it lags behind the county’s overall rate.
The county is still in the process of asking employees to submit their vaccination status as it works to finalize its employee vaccination policy.
But Alsobrooks said preliminary data shows 64% of county workers received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared to 82% of residents who received at least one injection. “It is our goal to align our employees with this,” she said, noting that the county government “will encourage where possible” workers.
For his part, Askew repeatedly recalled the effectiveness of vaccines.
“The pandemic has become a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” Askew said, adding that “those who come to the sickest hospital and those who die are overwhelmingly the unvaccinated. “
He said CDC figures revealed that unvaccinated people are five times more likely to be infected with COVID-19 than those vaccinated, and 20 times more likely to be hospitalized. Vaccines save lives.
“Getting very sick from COVID is preventable,” Askew said. “It’s heartbreaking to know that a few needle sticks could have saved so many people.”
Alsobrooks added: “The best antidote we know of at this point is to be vaccinated.”
You can make an appointment for the vaccination on the Prince George County website.
Boosters, third doses
Booster shots are available for people who need them, Alsobrooks said, and Askew again made a clear distinction between booster shots and third doses, both of which have gained visibility in recent weeks.
Booster shots are for people who have received both Pfizer vaccine injections (they are not yet approved for Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines) and who are over 65 years of age, or others aged 18 to 64 years depending on their health and work, such as those working in health care, correctional facilities, grocery stores and nursing homes.
These people should receive boosters six months after their second injection. “You don’t have to show proof of eligibility that you’re eligible for a recall,” Alsobrooks said, “but keep timing in mind.”
Third doses, on the other hand, are for people whose immune systems are compromised by medical conditions or by medications they are taking. This compromise prevents people from reaching the usual level of immunity in the first place. These extra doses are available for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, and if you’re eligible, you should get it 28 days after your second injection, Askew said.
Rental assistance
Alsobrooks also detailed some of the ways Prince George County has spent and is spending the money granted by the US federal bailout.
She focused on rent assistance, saying the county has received $ 84 million and has paid around $ 30 million so far.
“We have a lot more money to spend and a lot of requests to process,” she said, with more and more requests every day.
She said a series of community fairs would help residents navigate the rental assistance program. In the meantime, people can get help by calling 301-883-6504 and then pressing 9, or by going to the County Housing and Community Development page and clicking on “Emergency Help”. rent “.
Halloween Tips
Askew said he is planning FDA approval for children aged 5 to 11 to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in the coming weeks, but he had several tips regarding Halloween.
On the one hand, he said, children must wear masks, and the type of masks that come with the costumes won’t cut it – the same type of face covering that has been used for the past year and a half must be used. He noted that adding a costume mask to a cloth mask can make it difficult to breathe.
He also said people on the other end of the treat process should make individual candy bags for the kids and / or put candy in bowls at the end of the aisle.
And, it probably goes without saying, the search for apples is over.
He added that the flu season is starting and flu shots are already available.
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