Maryland – (Tuesday, January 4, 2022) – As COVID hospitalizations skyrocket in Maryland, Governor Larry Hogan Tuesday declared a state of emergency for the next 30-days.

Hogan says the declaration is intended to help hospitals manage a sharp rise in COVID-19 patients, which has now topped 3,000.  The dramatic numbers are overwhelming the state’s health systems and staff.  “Our focus has been and continues to be on preventing hospitalizations and deaths,” said Hogan.

The governor also enacted two executive orders.  They give Maryland’s Health Secretary authority to regulate hospital personnel, space, and supplies.

Hogan says in the coming weeks, Maryland’s coronavirus hospitalizations could soar beyond 5,000.  He stopped short of instituting any mask mandates, but again urged people to mask up and to get vaccinated and boosted.

Hogan himself just recently was infected with COVID-19.  He said he did is 10-day isolation and received treatment of the monoclonal anti-bodies.  “I feel totally fine.”