COVID-19

NOTICE: St. Mary’s County Health Department – Due to High Demand for COVID Testing, Appointments Are Now Required

NOTICE: St. Mary’s County Health Department – Due to High Demand for COVID Testing, Appointments Are Now Required

NOTICE: Due to high demand, appointments will be required for COVID-19 testing at SMCHD sites. Appointments can be made online at smchd.org/covid-19-testing or by calling the COVID-19 Community Hotline at (301) 475-4330. Please note: wait times may be longer than usual, even with an appointment due to the high volume of patients receiving care....
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Omicron Variant of COVID-19 Virus Identified in St. Mary’s County

Omicron Variant of COVID-19 Virus Identified in St. Mary’s County

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has been notified of the first laboratory identified Omicron variant case of the COVID-19 virus in St. Mary’s County. Early analysis of the Omicron variant suggests it is highly contagious compared to prior COVID-19 virus strains. Due to a state of Maryland IT/network issue, local data on...
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St. Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – December 14, 2021

St. Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – December 14, 2021

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County held their regular business meeting in the Chesapeake Building Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. Dr. Meenakshi Brewster, county health officer, provided the monthly COVID-19 brief to the Commissioner led Board of Health. Following the Board of Health meeting, the Commissioners heard from the county attorney’s office with the final...
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St. Mary’s County Health Department Holiday Operations 2021

St. Mary’s County Health Department Holiday Operations 2021

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) main office in Leonardtown and satellite offices will be closed on: Thursday, December 23, 2021 Friday, December 24, 2021 Thursday, December 30, 2021 Friday, December 31, 2021 COVID-19 testing operations at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department and the Behavioral Health Hub in Lexington Park will be closed...
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Calvert County Government Announces Holiday Schedules for 2021

Calvert County Government Announces Holiday Schedules for 2021

The Calvert County Board of County Commissioners announces county offices will close at noon on Thursday, Dec. 23 and remain closed Friday, Dec. 24, 2021, in observance of the Christmas holiday. County offices will also close at noon on Thursday, Dec. 30 and remain closed Friday, Dec. 31 for New Year’s. In addition: The...
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CalvertHealth Medical Center Remains at Full Capacity, Operating Under Code Red & Yellow, Staffing Fears Overflowing and Surgery Cancellations to Come

CalvertHealth Medical Center Remains at Full Capacity, Operating Under Code Red & Yellow, Staffing Fears Overflowing and Surgery Cancellations to Come

The Calvert County Health Department has released the following. “Winter has arrived, and as often happens, hospitals are filling up. Every one of us is only a car crash, inflamed appendix, or heart arrhythmia away from urgently needing medical care. Currently, our only hospital in Calvert is at capacity. 10 of those medical ward...
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Vaccine Milestone: Maryland Surpasses 1 Million COVID-19 Booster Shots

Vaccine Milestone: Maryland Surpasses 1 Million COVID-19 Booster Shots

Governor Larry Hogan announced that the State of Maryland has surpassed 1 million COVID-19 booster shots. This is another major milestone as the state continues to conduct one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the country. To date, the state has administered 9,395,285 COVID-19 vaccines, including 1,004,758 booster shots. According to official CDC data,...
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Governor Hogan Announces First Three Confirmed Cases of Omicron Variant in Maryland

Governor Hogan Announces First Three Confirmed Cases of Omicron Variant in Maryland

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that state health officials have confirmed the first three cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) in Maryland residents. The Omicron variant was designated as a variant of concern by the World Health Organization on Nov. 26. The variant’s presence in Maryland was confirmed by the Maryland Department of...
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Owings Mills Man Facing Federal Charges for Selling Fraudulent Covid-19 Vaccination Cards

Owings Mills Man Facing Federal Charges for Selling Fraudulent Covid-19 Vaccination Cards

A criminal complaint has been filed charging Amar Salim Shabazz, age 23, of Owings Mills, for the federal charges of mail fraud and obstruction of justice in connection with his alleged distribution of fraudulent COVID-19 vaccination cards. The criminal complaint was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron;...
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St. Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – November 30, 2021

St. Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – November 30, 2021

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s hosted a joint meeting with the Board of Education in the Chesapeake Building Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. During the meeting, the superintendent, the CIP project manager, the Director of Facility Coordination Health and Physical Education, Athletics, and the Chief Strategic Officer provided briefs to the Commissioners. Following the joint...
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Michael Sheldon Cahall, 62

Michael Sheldon Cahall, 62

Michael Sheldon Cahall, 62, of Lexington Park, MD, formerly of Annapolis, MD, passed away on November 18, 2021 in Koh Samui, Thailand. He was born on Christmas Eve, 1958 to the late Richard Sewell Cahall and Mary Lorna Borsodi Cahall at the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, MD. He grew up in Beltsville...
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Walk-up COVID-19 Testing Site to Open Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at Dunkirk District Park

Walk-up COVID-19 Testing Site to Open Wednesday, December 1, 2021 at Dunkirk District Park

A new COVID-19 testing site will open at Dunkirk District Park, located at 10750 Southern Maryland Blvd. in Dunkirk, beginning Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. The testing site is independently operated by First Call Medical Center and will provide same-day, walk-up COVID-19 rapid, PCR and antigen testing in Calvert County. Testing will be available at...
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Governor Hogan Statement on COVID-19 Omicron Variant

Governor Hogan Statement on COVID-19 Omicron Variant

Governor Larry Hogan issued the following statement: “This morning, I received a briefing from the state’s COVID-19 Response Team regarding the new variant of concern identified by global health officials. We are closely monitoring the situation, and we will provide further public health updates to Marylanders as more information becomes available. “While there is...
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Expanded Eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccine Booster in St. Mary’s County

Expanded Eligibility for COVID-19 Vaccine Booster in St. Mary’s County

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has updated the eligibility criteria for local COVID-19 vaccine booster clinics in accordance with updated authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.  All individuals 18 years of age and older are now eligible for a booster dose after completion of primary vaccination with any FDA-authorized COVID-19...
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Vaccine Milestone: Governor Hogan Announces Maryland Surpasses 9 Million Vaccinations

Vaccine Milestone: Governor Hogan Announces Maryland Surpasses 9 Million Vaccinations

Governor Larry Hogan announced that the State of Maryland has surpassed 9 million COVID-19 vaccinations. “We have now administered our nine millionth vaccine as part of one of the most successful vaccination campaigns in the country,” said Governor Hogan. “The state has a robust network of providers, and we continue to have both the...
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St. Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – November 16, 2021

St. Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – November 16, 2021

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s held their regular business meeting in the Chesapeake Building Tuesday, November 16, 2021. The Commissioners recognized several graduates of the 2021 Citizens Academy. The 2021 Citizens Academy featured a nine-week series of Tuesday evening sessions presented by St. Mary’s County Government departments and partner agencies focusing on policies and...
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Calvert County Health Department Releases Statement After the Wrong 6-Year-Old Child Mistakenly Vaccinated at Public School

Calvert County Health Department Releases Statement After the Wrong 6-Year-Old Child Mistakenly Vaccinated at Public School

On November 11, 2021, the Calvert County Health Department released the following statement: This week, the Calvert County Health Department, has been providing Covid vaccines to students in our county’s schools. The Health Department has teamed with Calvert County Public Schools to provide influenza vaccinations for well over a decade. During that time, protocols...
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Maryland Woman Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Medicaid Out of Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

Maryland Woman Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding Medicaid Out of Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars

Sikirat Adunni Brown, 60, of Upper Marlboro, Md., was sentenced today to 13 months in prison for defrauding the D.C. Medicaid program out of more than $340,000. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office Criminal Division, Maureen R....
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Baltimore Man Sentenced to 10 Years After Shooting Man 11 Times in Brooklyn Park

Baltimore Man Sentenced to 10 Years After Shooting Man 11 Times in Brooklyn Park

Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess announced that Andy Reyes, 26, of Baltimore was sentenced to 60 years suspended all but 50 years with the first 15 years without parole in the attempted murder of Daniel Bartley, 27. A jury found the defendant guilty of attempted first degree murder, use of a...
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COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available for Children Ages Five & Older

COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available for Children Ages Five & Older

The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has updated the eligibility criteria for local COVID-19 vaccine clinics to include children ages 5 through 11 years of age in accordance with updated authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children 5...
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Calvert Library Staff Member Tests Positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, October 30, 2021

Calvert Library Staff Member Tests Positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, October 30, 2021

A member of Calvert Library Southern Branch staff has tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The staff member worked in the public space on Saturday, October 30, from 9:00 a.m., to 5:00 p.m. The staff member worked with the public following library COVID-protocol; had no close contact with customers, maintained 6 feet of social...
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Information About COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters/Additional Doses in St. Mary’s County

Information About COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters/Additional Doses in St. Mary’s County

The St. Mary’s County Health Department is reaching out to provide key information about the eligibility for additional or booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine. We encourage eligible persons to get additional or booster doses of Moderna, Pfizer, or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has now authorized this...
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Halloween Safety Tips, Fire Safety, and Ways to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

Halloween Safety Tips, Fire Safety, and Ways to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

Ongoing surveillance of local COVID-19 data by the St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) continues to show high levels of community transmission of COVID-19. SMCHD strongly recommends that all community members (vaccinated and unvaccinated) continue to wear masks in indoor settings when with others outside their household and in outdoor group settings when physical...
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St. Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – October 19, 2021

St. Mary’s County Commissioner Meeting Rollup – October 19, 2021

The Commissioners of St. Mary’s County held their regular business meeting Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021, in the Chesapeake Building in Leonardtown and opened their meeting by presenting  Proclamations in recognition of White Cane Day, Red Ribbon Week – Young Marines, Red Ribbon Week – Health Department and Economic Development Week. The Commissioners then convened...
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Calvert County Updates COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance

Calvert County Updates COVID-19 Vaccination Guidance

The Calvert County Health Department has updated guidance on eligibility requirements for residents who wish to register for a booster or third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Under new guidance, all citizens ages 16 or older, who have received either the initial Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations, are eligible to receive a booster dose. At...
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