Maryland

Is COVID rising in Maryland? Here’s what we know

Published

5 months ago

July 18, 2024

Is COVID rising in Maryland? Here’s what we know

It’s July and as if the excessive heat isn’t enough, there is also coronavirus out there.

The surveillance is less widespread, or even timely, these days. But more people who bother to test are positive for COVID-19, and some are being hospitalized, and more virus is being found in wastewater samples. Many of us know of someone at home sick, including President Joe Biden.

“What we see in the local numbers, maybe there is a hint of something happening; I wouldn’t necessarily think it’s anything major yet,” said Andrew Pekosz, a COVID researcher and professor of immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

“In the Southwest of the U.S., there are some crazy increases going on,” he said. “But reporting is slow. People know people who are sick, and it’s not reflected in the data we are seeing from public health sites and hospitals. So we’ll see if the current upward trend continues in Maryland.”

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Pekosz said COVID has surged in late fall-winter each year for the past three years, but cases have gone up in summer, too, despite viruses not liking the extreme temperatures. He said COVID seems to be taking advantage of people escaping the heat together indoors. And unlike the flu, there always seems to be enough cases of COVID out there from which a wave can build.

The Maryland Department of Health is still collecting data from laboratories and health care providers that test people for COVID, and officials report the case rate was 4.08 per 100,000 people in Maryland as of July 15, up from 2.77 per 100,000 the week before.

Hospitals, which don’t routinely test every patient anymore, also show a relatively small uptick in cases. There were 119 patients diagnosed with COVID in Maryland hospitals as of July 15, more than double the number from mid-May, but nowhere near the pandemic peaks when cases numbered in the thousands.

At the University of Maryland Medical System, with a dozen hospitals, there’s been a minimal increase among inpatients, said Dr. Gregory Schrank, an infectious disease physician at the University of Maryland Medical Center and assistant professor of medicine at the university’s School of Medicine. There could be a rise in COVID activity in July and August, Schrank said, as there’s been in prior years.

Hospitals have come to expect more cases when families vacation in summer, travel for holidays and go back to school, said Sharon Boston, spokeswoman for LifeBridge Health, which includes Sinai Hospital in North Baltimore.

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“LifeBridge Health has seen a slight uptick in patients admitted to our hospitals for COVID, and we are seeing a definite increase in our communities, generally related to people traveling on airplanes and cruises.”

Other sources back this up to a degree, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Wastewater Surveillance System. But that data is also incomplete. The system only has COVID testing data for four counties: Anne Arundel, Washington, Garrett and St. Mary’s.

While Anne Arundel data does show a large increase in COVID over the last 45 days, the oldest data is from February, making it impossible to compare current levels to previous spikes.

The system does show half of the states are listed as having high or very high levels of COVID.

By now, most people have had COVID or been vaccinated so their bodies have developed protections against severe disease, Pekosz said. The exception are people who have not been infected or vaccinated in a while. He said getting boosted is important for them, as well as those who are very young or old or have underlying health conditions.

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Unvaccinated people also are more likely to develop long COVID, where symptoms persist or worsen over time. Sick people can infect the most vulnerable people if they do not isolate or take precautions.

The CDC now advises people can return to daily activities once symptoms improve and fever has been gone for 24 hours, though officials say taking precautions such as masking or keeping a distance for longer can prevent spread. It’s the same advice for other infections, such as the flu or RSV.

Pekosz said using rapid COVID tests until you are negative is the best way to protect others.

The CDC recommends anyone 6 months and older get the next COVID shot when it becomes available later this year. Vaccines are expected from Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer to match circulating strains.

A study recently published by Johns Hopkins researchers shows more regular boosters, every three to six months, help people who are immunocompromised fight COVID.

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The Baltimore City Health Department has launched new ads specifically calling on older adults to stay up to date on boosters. The department continues to partner with schools, churches and community centers to offer vaccines.

Officials note that most insurers cover the shots, and Walgreens and CVS offer them for free for the uninsured. Appointments generally can be found at vaccines.gov

“The virus has evolved since the height of the pandemic,” said Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Ihuoma Emenuga in a statement. “And just as flu shots are recommended each season, the CDC recommends the updated COVID-19 shots to protect yourself, your loved one and your community against serious illness from COVID-19.”

Baltimore Banner Data Editor Ryan Little contributed to this article.

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Maryland

Top 25 Maryland Boys High School Basketball State Rankings (12/25/2024)

Published

7 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

Top 25 Maryland Boys High School Basketball State Rankings (12/25/2024)

There’s no change at the top of the latest Maryland high school boys basketball Top 25 rankings. Bullis School, DeMatha Catholic, Georgetown Prep, St. Frances Academy and Glenelg Country School maintain their positions in the Top 5.

Edmondson-Westside is the biggest mover this week, going from 24th to No. 21 after knocking off then-No. 21 Baltimore City College. Prince George’s Christian Academy debuts at No. 22, thanks to its win over then-No. 20 Clinton Grace Academy.

Previous rank: 1

The Bulldogs, who lost in the Signature Series final at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, will play at the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic starting Friday.

Previous rank: 2

The Stags will play at the Governor’s Challenge in Salisbury, Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 3

The Little Hoyas will play at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego starting Thursday.

Previous rank: 4

The Panthers, who defeated No. 7 Our Lady of Mount Carmel in overtime, will play at the Jordan Brand Holiday Classic in New York, Saturday and Sunday.

Previous rank: 5

The Dragons will play at the Governor’s Challenge Saturday and Sunday.

Previous rank: 6

The Cavaliers will play at the Governor’s Challenge Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 7

The Cougars, who lost to DeMatha Catholic and St. Frances Academy, will play at the Mid Penn Bank Classic in Pennsylvania Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 8

The Gaels will play at the Junior Orange Bowl Classic in Florida starting Friday.

Previous rank: 9

The Warriors will play at the Governor’s Challenge Saturday and Sunday.

Previous rank: 10

The Lions will play at the Governor’s Challenge Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 11

The Bengals have scored 90 or more points four times.

Previous rank: 12

The Patriots, who dropped close decisions to No. 5 Glenelg Country School and No. 6 Archbishop Spalding, will play at the Benedictine Capital City Classic in Virginia starting Friday.

Previous rank: 13

The Lions rebounded from loss to SIdwell Friends School (D.C.) with victories over Mount Zion Prep-Blue team and New Hope Academy.

Previous rank: 15

The Dons, who’ve won three straight, will play at the Blue Jay Christmas Classic in New Orleans starting Friday.

Previous rank: 16

The Eagles will play at the Benedictine Capital City Classic starting Friday.

Previous rank: 14

The Mustangs, who went winless at the City of Palms Classic in Florida, will play Archbishop Wood (Pa.) at the Governor’s Challenge Monday..

Previous rank: 17

The Eagles will play at the Severna Park Winter Jam Tournament Thursday and Friday.

Previous rank: 18

The Lions have lost two of their last three decisions.

Previous rank: 19

The Crusaders knocked off District of Columbia No. 3 St. John’s College.

Previous rank: 22

The Pumas will host the Lou Wilson Holiday Tournament, Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 24

The Red Storm, who defeated then-No. 21 Baltimore City College, will play at the Governor’s Challenge Thursday and Friday.

Previous rank: Not ranked

The Flyers, who defeated then-No. 20 Clinton Grace Christian, will play at the Beach Ball Classic in South Carolina starting Friday.

Previous rank: 21

The Black Knights, who dropped decisions to then-No. 24 Edmondson-Westside and West Catholic Prep (Pa.) will play at the Governor’s Challenge, Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 23

The Seahawks will play at the Governor’s Challenge, Friday and Saturday.

Previous rank: 25

The Hubs will play at the Skip Fowler Memorial Tournament in West Virginia, Friday and Saturday.

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Maryland

The rich and controversial history of Maryland’s clown ministers

Published

16 hours ago

December 25, 2024

Press Room

The rich and controversial history of Maryland’s clown ministers

We are fools for Christ’s sake.

So believed the apostle Paul when he penned a letter to the Corinthian church. And so, too, believed Maryland’s pioneering clown ministry.

This niche style of Christian outreach is as outrageous as it is earnest, and traces some of its roots back to Columbia. It’s perhaps a legacy that James Rouse never imagined when he founded the Howard County town, with its distinctive urban plan, efficient use of land and commitment to diversity. Rouse included a series of interfaith centers intended to bring people of different beliefs under one roof. The model inspired one local pastor at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church to pursue his own experiment blending liturgy with laughter.

These days, Rev. Floyd Shaffer is remembered by some as the “clown father” of modern Christian clowning. Though liturgical clowning already had a history in Europe, Shaffer spent his time in Columbia in the 1970s dabbling in clown ministry and eventually became known as a leader of the movement in the United States. He died three years ago, his wife Marlene Shaffer confirmed.

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Even though the whimsical ministry’s heyday was in the 1980s and ’90s, some Christians continue to answer the call to clown. And the practice has captivated new audiences on TikTok and YouTube.

Earlier this year, the Columbia Maryland Archives put together an online exhibit about the town’s nondenominational clown ministry, called Faith and Fantasy, which Shaffer founded in 1974. Archivist Erin Berry said staffers were inspired after stumbling across a popular YouTube channel’s episode on Christian clowning.

Shaffer’s idea for a clown ministry came to him in 1964 on a beach in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The pastor was in town for a Bible study and leafing through some books when he stumbled across the etymology of the word clown. He connected it with Jesus’ command to be a servant.

That same year, Lutheran church leaders were getting creative with clowns — and it wasn’t going over well.

The National Lutheran Council produced the short film “Parable,” which depicted Jesus as a white-faced clown and the world as a circus.

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The film’s 1964 debut at the New York World’s Fair roiled event organizers, some of whom resigned in protest. One “disgruntled minister threatened to riddle the screen with shotgun holes if the film was shown,” the Library of Congress noted when it announced that it had selected “Parable” for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012.

Six years later, Shaffer debuted as a clown minister for the opening day of Abiding Savior’s vacation Bible school, according to a news article preserved in Columbia’s archives.

Floyd Shaffer as Socataco and his granddaughter Erica play with a clown marionette. (Created by Floyd Shaffer/Courtesy of Columbia Maryland Archives)

“I don’t think that something that’s so controversial — I don’t know what other word to use — as clowning ministry could flourish in another place other than Columbia,” Berry said. “You could just try what you wanted to try.”

Other leaders within Columbia’s interfaith centers encouraged Shaffer to keep at it, said 86-year-old Marge Goethe. Her husband, Rev. Jerry Goethe, the pastor for Kittamaqundi Community Church, suggested to Shaffer that he teach a class on clown ministry. Together, the two men designed a seven-week course that covered theology, the history of clowning, skits and games to encourage playfulness.

Many local residents, including Marge Goethe, enrolled in the classes, embraced clown ministry and set out to visit children’s hospitals, retirement homes and domestic violence shelters. She learned how to silently deliver sermons with gestures and humor, but never mockery. Goethe used lipstick to draw a red circle — a symbol of the liturgical clown — on her cheek.

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Goethe developed her clown persona and named him Harry, after a man she knew as a child who lived on the streets. He was a reminder that she could either be the kind of person who brushed him off or helped him out.

Howard County’s clown ministry eventually grew to include as many as 300 clowns, The Baltimore Sun reported in 1994. Members of the Faith and Fantasy ministry went on to teach clown ministry around the country and internationally.

Not every audience loved the routine.

During a worship service at a Virginia college’s youth convention, Goethe and other clown ministers offered to draw the mark of the clown on people’s cheeks.

“What is that, the mark of the devil?” one man asked.

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Goethe couldn’t reply while she was in character.

“All I had to do was accept what he was feeling at the time and hope it changed at some point,” Goethe said.

Goethe still attends Kittamaqundi services and performs clown ministry. When people ask her about the decades she spent cheering up strangers, she worries she won’t find the right words to explain how rich clown ministry turned out to be.

“I did more good for people being silent,” Goethe said.

Shaffer eventually moved to Ohio and authored several books with titles such as “If I Were A Clown” and “Clown Ministry.” He produced instructional videos on clown ministry that lately have found a rapt audience on the internet.

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Jen Bryant realized she had a personal connection with clown ministry while putting together an episode on the subject for her YouTube channel, Fundie Fridays, which features cultural commentary on aspects of fundamentalist Christianity in the United States. The Missouri resident’s grandfather, a Catholic, performed for a time as a clown minister under the name “George-o.”

Every community seems to have its subcultures, Bryant said, and she found that was also true for clowns. There are classical clowns like Joseph Grimaldi, a Regency-era entertainer who introduced the white face makeup. There are dark clowns like Juggalos, a nickname for fans of the hip-hop group Insane Clown Posse. And there are scary clowns like Pennywise, the shapeshifting antagonist in Stephen King’s 1986 horror novel “It.”

At first, Christian clowns sounded like a meme to Bryant. The full story, she said, turned out to be “way more interesting.”

Bryant and her husband James Bryant ordered copies of Shaffer’s books and collected a variety of research on clown ministry for their episode, which posted in April. The hourlong segment earned an “overwhelmingly positive” response from their audience, many of whom are in the midst of deconstructing their faith and understanding of Christianity, Bryant said.

“Everyone just thought this was just the most pleasant little novelty,” James Bryant said.

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Maybe Christian clowns are even the original deconstructors.

“They’re people who went, ‘faith wasn’t working exactly how we wanted it to, so we broke it down and changed it,’” he said. “It worked. It has a legacy.”

Appearing in a video on Kittamaqundi’s YouTube page, Shaffer said clown ministry gives people a new way to live out and enjoy theology, “instead of being so glum and gloomy and solemn, as much of the church has become.”

Many Bible stories defy rational thought and that’s sort of the point, Floyd said in the video.

Scripture, Floyd noted, often suggests that God has a sense of humor.

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