Almost everyone can still get the shots, but a lot of people will have to go through some extra steps. Mike Bebernes, Reporter Updated Fri, August 29, 2025 at 1:37 PM CDT

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– Andrew Pekosz, professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, who studies respiratory illnesses

Just last week, there were 1,317 active COVID-19 cases in Maryland. But weekly cases have been on a steady rise since mid-summer, when there were just 390 reported COVID-19 cases during the first week of July.

That said, fatalities attributed to COVID-19 are low. There were only three COVID-related deaths last week, according to the state health department. Since July 1, there have been 27 deaths attributed to the virus.

Pekosz said that even though the new guidelines specifically say “high risk” populations should have access to vaccines, limiting its availability to others could still end up lowering protection for the high-risk groups.

“More cases in healthy individuals will spill over into the high-risk groups,” Pekosz says. “More-vulnerable populations do not respond as well to the COVID vaccine. So while the vaccine works, it doesn’t work as well. When you vaccinate the whole population you start to generate these layers of protections.”

Pekosz expects that fewer people will get the vaccine this year due to the confusion.

He and other public health advocates await further guidance on the COVID-19 vaccine this year. Meanwhile, Pekosz recommends that Marylanders prepare for the seasonal rise in cases by picking up some at-home COVID tests. But he still says the COVID vaccine is effective and safe.

“The vaccine is efficacious, I would much rather get the vaccine than get COVID. And that is now being taken off the table for a large number of people,” he said.