March 13, 2020
Maryland Taking “Drastic Measures”
Session Will Be Day-by-Day

As news of the novel coronavirus and associated COVID-19 disease grip Maryland institutions – measures to stem its spread and counter its effects are aggressively underway at every level. Schools closed, public events canceled, and citizens in “prep” mode. State and county leaders are coordinating the effort and response to the crisis. The remaining weeks of the General Session are hard to forecast, but expect a heavy focus on “critical legislation” in the days ahead, with more limited face-to-face participation and input than customary.

Conduit Street Podcast Corner:
On the latest episode of the Conduit Street Podcast, Kevin Kinnally, Michael Sanderson, and Natasha Mehu discuss the latest news on the novel strain of the coronavirus, known as COVID-19. Calvert County Health Officer, Dr. Larry Polsky, joins the podcast to discuss state and local efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.
Listen to any Conduit Street Podcast Episode: www.mdcounties.org/Podcast
Counties In Action
Baltimore City Will Offer 3 Free Meals A Day for Students While Schools Are Closed
Howard Shares Tips for Protecting Yourself, Pets & Community from COVID-19
Prince George's Health Dept. Shares Guide to Social Distancing

Corporate Partner Corner

MACo's Gold Corporate Partner Kaiser Permanente , is working on vaccines that could protect against COVID-19. TIME Magazine recently featured an article with on of KP's lead investigators on the study.


As COVID-19 continues to spread both around the world and in the U.S., two separate efforts to find a medical solution to the virus are moving forward. At the University of Nebraska, the first patients have volunteered to test an experimental drug to treat COVID-19. And at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, researchers have begun recruiting people to test a possible vaccine.

The vaccine study that is furthest along (and which is also overseen by NIAID) is currently recruiting its first participants at Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute. Unlike the remdesivir trial, this study will enroll healthy volunteers. Dr. Lisa Jackson, lead investigator on the study, says 45 healthy people will be recruited to test three different doses of the vaccine.

Kaiser is currently getting thousands of daily online requests from people interested in participating. Researchers are contacting the volunteers by phone to assess their eligibility for the study. Once the participants are chosen, they will be given one of the three vaccine doses being tested. The scientists will track patients’ immune responses after that injection, and then give each patient a second injection (of the same dosage). The goal is to figure out which dosage is most effective, and whether one or two shots of that dosage is needed.

For the full article, visit TIME's website.

For more information on Kaiser Permanente' s health initiatives, visit their website .

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