Maryland’s COVID numbers continue to trend in the right direction. The CDC reports that more than 85% of adults in our state have had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. That’s about six points better than the national average. Our positivity rate is down about 31% since August, and hospitalizations are down since their peak at 65% a few months ago. Our state’s wealthiest jurisdiction, Montgomery County, has a vaccination rate of more than 99%.
And while hospitalizations for COVID are down, hospitals still struggle with staff shortages and burnout as medical personnel contend with COVID cases that are largely avoidable because they mostly afflict people who aren’t vaccinated.
Tom's first guest today is contending with that dilemma. Dr. Mohan Suntha was appointed the President and CEO of the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) in 2019. The system employs nearly 29,000 people throughout the state, and it includes a medical school, and a network of community hospitals and other centers at more than 150 different locations.
Dr. Mohan Suntha joins us on Zoom from his office in downtown Baltimore.
