ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan participated in a Fox45 Town Hall this week to discuss and answer viewer’s questions on various topics regarding the state’s COVID-19 recovery.
The governor was joined by Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Jinlene Chan, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon, and the leader of Maryland’s Vaccine Equity Task Force, Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead. Watch the full broadcast of the Town Hall here, which airs again on Fox45 today at 6 p.m.
Continued COVID-19 Recovery.
“We are at a very hopeful point, but this battle is not over,” said Governor Hogan. “There are still dangerous variants out there and for people who are not vaccinated it is still a dangerous time, and we still have people going into the hospital. There are still a lot of people who are unvaccinated who are still at serious risk, but we are making great progress and following CDC guidance.”
Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines.
“Vaccines work, and that is really the bottom line,” said Dr. Chan. “Here in the state we have literally been watching the numbers fall before our very eyes, and I think that is in large part due to the part that Maryland has done really well in terms of our vaccinations. We urge people to look at the science and information that vaccines work, we have some differences in terms of vaccine rates across the state, and that’s where our efforts are now to make sure that vaccines are available in every neighborhood in every community on every corner.”
Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy.
“The Vaccine Equity Task Force decided to work with counties, local municipalities, community groups, and faith based institutions to get into communities to find out what are their issues and how to address those issues to bring vaccines,” said Brigadier General Birckhead. “Some of the things we saw were transportation issues, technology issues, and some simply were knowledge-based issues. It is people making a choice, and once they have the information and once they hear a trusted voice, whether from a parent or child that is now getting vaccinated, all of those things come into play.”
Getting Back to In-Person Learning.
“We are encouraging all the school systems to get their kids back to our very safe and clean schools,” said Dr. Salmon. “We are observing that hybrid learning is difficult to conduct effectively. Teachers have been creative in what they have set up, but the best thing is to have kids back in person. … The majority of the students will be back in school, in person, and will not be taught in a hybrid setting.”
The governor was joined by Deputy Health Secretary Dr. Jinlene Chan, State Superintendent of Schools Dr. Karen Salmon, and the leader of Maryland’s Vaccine Equity Task Force, Brigadier General Janeen Birckhead. Watch the full broadcast of the Town Hall here, which airs again on Fox45 today at 6 p.m.
Continued COVID-19 Recovery.
“We are at a very hopeful point, but this battle is not over,” said Governor Hogan. “There are still dangerous variants out there and for people who are not vaccinated it is still a dangerous time, and we still have people going into the hospital. There are still a lot of people who are unvaccinated who are still at serious risk, but we are making great progress and following CDC guidance.”
Effectiveness of COVID-19 Vaccines.
“Vaccines work, and that is really the bottom line,” said Dr. Chan. “Here in the state we have literally been watching the numbers fall before our very eyes, and I think that is in large part due to the part that Maryland has done really well in terms of our vaccinations. We urge people to look at the science and information that vaccines work, we have some differences in terms of vaccine rates across the state, and that’s where our efforts are now to make sure that vaccines are available in every neighborhood in every community on every corner.”
Addressing Vaccine Hesitancy.
“The Vaccine Equity Task Force decided to work with counties, local municipalities, community groups, and faith based institutions to get into communities to find out what are their issues and how to address those issues to bring vaccines,” said Brigadier General Birckhead. “Some of the things we saw were transportation issues, technology issues, and some simply were knowledge-based issues. It is people making a choice, and once they have the information and once they hear a trusted voice, whether from a parent or child that is now getting vaccinated, all of those things come into play.”
Getting Back to In-Person Learning.
“We are encouraging all the school systems to get their kids back to our very safe and clean schools,” said Dr. Salmon. “We are observing that hybrid learning is difficult to conduct effectively. Teachers have been creative in what they have set up, but the best thing is to have kids back in person. … The majority of the students will be back in school, in person, and will not be taught in a hybrid setting.”
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