The Widespread Effect of COVID-19 in Maryland 

The coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) pandemic has taken the world by storm, resulting in quarantine measures, overflowing hospitals, severely high unemployment rates and many deaths.  According to Emily Landon, MD, an infectious disease specialist and hospital epidemiologist at the University of Chicago Medicine, the coronavirus migrated from China through a traveler contracting it from that area, where a group of severe pneumonia cases were reported New Year's Eve 2019.  The risk factors and source of infection became unknown because the cases could not be directly traced.  Evidence suggests that the coronavirus was detected in the United States as early as November 2019, but there is still much ground to cover regarding the origin of the virus. 

 

The coronavirus has many symptoms like pneumonia in that it is highly infectious and can easily spread from one person to another.  This can happen even before someone develops symptoms of the virus.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the symptoms of the virus include cough, fever or chills, headache, fatigue, muscle/body aches, difficulty breathing, loss of taste/smell, runny nose, congestion, sore throat, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea, persistent chest pain, confusion, bluish face/lips, and inability to walk or stay awake.  These symptoms can appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. 

 

The coronavirus can be transferred through respiratory droplets through talking, sneezing and coughing.  Six feet is the proper distance to separate from someone because these small respiratory droplets can travel that far.  The six-foot distance is in place to avoid COVID-19 contamination from person to person.  It is vital that everyone take other precautions as well, such as to avoid touching your face as the droplets can land on surfaces and be transferred from a surface to our hands, mouth, nose, and ultimately any area we touch.  Hand hygiene is also important for this reason.  Washing your hands is not only for after you use the bathroom, but before you eat, and regularly throughout the day.  Keeping commonly used surfaces clean such as a keyboard and phone and covering your mouth when sneezing and coughing is important to avoid the spread of the virus as well. 

 

According to an interview with Amber Green, a registered nurse in the emergency department at the University of Maryland Shore Regional Health at Easton, she states that things at her hospital have been very different due to COVID-19. For example, she discusses the shortness of staff they are experiencing due to exposure risks and how many nurses and pregnant women have notes excusing them from treating COVID patients.  Green also states, “The virus has also made it challenging to see patients in a timely manner due to having to wear an N95 mask, surgical mask, gown, face shield, and gloves prior to entering any patients room with symptoms such as fever, cough, diarrhea/vomiting, etc.” 

 

Green was also questioned about how many patients her hospital has seen; how many have been tested for the virus as well as the precautions taken for a patient with COVID-19 symptoms.  Initially UMSRH at Easton had 15 patients with coronavirus and the number started to drop soon thereafter.  However, they are beginning to rise again, with most patients coming from nursing homes.  COVID-19 has been an especially harmful virus to the elderly as well as those that are already affected by an illness of some sort.  Regarding patients showing symptoms upon arrival, Green states that they are placed on enhanced droplet and contact precautions.  This means that the staff must wear an N95 mask, surgical mask, gown, face shield and gloves.  She states, “We have sign-up sheets outside of the room where you put your name and employee number so if that patient comes back positive, employee health and contact you and let you know you have been exposed. If patients are COVID positive or are getting aerosolized treatment such as nebulizer treatments, intubation, or oxygen, you must wear your N95 mask along with the other PPE (personal protective equipment). All patients must be transported in the hall with a surgical mask on. Then when the patient leaves the room stays dirty for one hour at which point EVS (janitors) do a deep cleaning.”  This is also a good precautionary measure for the health of the nursing and hospital staff to ensure their safety during the pandemic as they service other individuals in need.   

 

In closing while interviewing Nurse Green, she was asked her opinion as a healthcare professional regarding how she sees the impact of COVID cases in the foreseeable future.  Green states, “I do believe that myself as a healthcare professional will have to continue to wear a mask forever, but I do believe that we will have another spike in cases once the world starts to open back up, but then we will return to normal. The problem is that closing business and limiting people’s exposure is only going to flatten the curve rather than preventing it. Immunocompromised individuals and those at risk may continue to wear a mask and protect themselves but I feel that mask will not be required once this spike in cases starts to decline. Even once we return to normal, I feel that people will treat this virus just like we do the flu and it will be our new normal virus to catch during cold season. I also believe that they will continue to try to make a vaccine based on this strand and that will also help the number of cases, but I don’t believe places such as healthcare facilities will not make the vaccine mandatory like they do the flu vaccine until it has been on the market for a few years.” 
 

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The state of Maryland during the coronavirus pandemic has taken a major hit.  The COVID testing positivity rate has remained at 4.53% with the number of hospitalizations at 406.  There have been more than 761,000 tests given in MD and half of the jurisdictions have hit 10% testing.  For example, Baltimore City has reached 12% tested; Prince George’s County, 10.6%; Montgomery County, 10.1%; Howard County, 9.6% and Anne Arundel County, 8.3%.

    

Governor Larry Hogan of Maryland states, “While we are seeing dramatic spikes in states across our region and across the nation, here in Maryland, the key health metrics continue to trend in a very positive direction, and we continue to be better positioned for an economic comeback than nearly every other state in America.  But this does not mean the crisis is behind us, or that we can afford to stop being vigilant and cautious. In order to keep outperforming the nation and continue our road to recovery, all Marylanders, regardless of age, must continue practicing physical distancing, wearing masks, and avoiding crowds and close gatherings.”  Maryland has now conducted over 220 COVID tests statewide and have even made testing sites available for convenience and accessibility.  The Maryland Health Department has also made it where patients can make an appointment online at more sites.  According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Twitter, you can receive daily updates on credible health and safety regulations for COVID-19 in the United States, such as health tips, stats, reports and up-to-date information about your area of residence.

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        Face mask that must be worn in all places in MD.                        COVID-19 testing site in Prince George's County, MD 

 

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 can affect people of all ages but older individuals and those with a pre-existing medical condition (i.e. diabetes, asthma, heart disease, etc.) are more vulnerable to becoming very ill with the coronavirus.  However, people of all ages are advised to take steps to protect themselves during these times by following good hygienic standards.  While interviewing COVID-19 patient Brenda Proctor of Prince George’s County Maryland, she described her experience with contracting the virus and being on a 14-day quarantine, away from everyone.  Proctor states, “I was very disappointed to find out that I encountered someone who had COVID and that I had contracted it.  Once I was placed on a two-week quarantine, I started to realize how real the virus was, and I immediately knew that my age was a huge factor in this.  At 67 years old, I knew that I needed to be extra careful, cautious and patient as I got treated for the virus.  The test was very uncomfortable but something I knew had to be done.  My hospital stay was short, but my time at home was filled with fluids, rest and prayer that things would be okay.”  Ultimately, Proctor recovered and was reunited with her loved ones after her 14-day quarantine.  She is happy and well and plans to take extra precautions towards the virus moving forward by continuing to wear a mask, telework full-time at her job, washing her hands, and limiting her exposure to the outside world.   
 

COVID-19 has negatively affected the lives of many individuals in the United States, some states worse than others.  For example, in the months following the outbreak of the pandemic, major department store such as Target and Walmart experienced massive shortages of products such as paper towels, toilet paper, food items and Lysol/disinfectant products.  This affected many families and those in need of certain household products. 

 

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Moreover, the unemployment rate in Maryland has increased significantly, leaving thousands without jobs or income, forcing them to file for unemployment.  According to The Baltimore Sun, the state of Maryland lost over 20,000 jobs at the start of the pandemic.  Tabaris Lemons of Montgomery County, Maryland is one of many who became unemployed when the pandemic hit in mid-March.  Lemons previously worked as an Audio-Visual Technician for Presentation Services in Audio and Visual (PSAV).  Due to high unemployment rates, the IRS put the CARES Act in place.  The CARES Act (The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act) is known as a law that is designed to address the economic fallout of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States.  President Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act law on March 27, 2020 to provide financial assistance to businesses and families affected by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.  Lemons states that “unemployment has been challenging and I am hopeful and eager to return to work and normal life very soon.”  Human Resources Specialist, Tisa Proctor of the Library of Congress speaks on how employment is currently looking and how it may look once agencies and businesses return to normal.  She states, “many businesses/organizations are suffering, including my agency.  We are very short staffed since the building is on lockdown and not every position is telework approved.  There will be a lag in production and when the lockdown is lifted, we will return in phases, instead of all at once.”   

 

It will certainly take some time to return to the former way of living as we knew it, but some predict that the next steps regarding the virus will affect even more individuals. Dr. Michael Osterholm quotes during a meeting with USAToday’s Editorial Board, “this virus is going to keep going until it infects everybody it possibly can.  It surely won’t slow down until it hits 60 to 70 percent of the population.”  Osterholm is a highly recognized expert in infectious disease epidemiology.  Michael Osterholm goes on to explain how we are still not prepared for what is to come with COVID-19.  It is important to understand the challenges we are facing as well as the importance of keeping our frontline healthcare workers safe.  He encourages us to learn from our mistakes to avoid the same struggles before the next pandemic emerges.  He states, “We all have to confront the fact there’s not a magic bullet, short of a vaccine, that’s going to make this go away. We’re going to be living with it. And we’re not having that discussion at all.”

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              Atiya Stewart gets a COVID test through

                nose swabbing in PG County, MD.

                   

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