The Allegany County Health Department has announced that it will be distributing free adult-sized KN95 masks for the public beginning Monday, January 24.  Supplies are limited to one box per person, and can be picked up at the Willowbrook Office Complex and at any branch of the Allegany County Library System.  The masks will be given out on a first-come first-serve basis, and individuals cannot reserve masks for later pickup.  The masks will be available as long as supplies last.

“We are asking members of the public to respect the one-box limit per adult, so that we can get masks to as many Allegany County residents as possible,” said ACHD spokesperson, Brenda Caldwell.  “To obtain a box of masks, simply stop by the lobby of the health department or any of the five branches of the Allegany County Library System.”

The CDC recommends specialized filtering respirators like N95 and KN95 masks over cloth masks or disposable surgical masks.  Well-fitting respirators, without any gaps along the edges or around the nose, offer the highest level of protection from COVID-19 and other contagions.

While the statewide statistics for COVID cases has started to decline, those numbers have gone up in Allegany County.  Currently, our case count per 100,000 people is at 179.67, compared to the statewide average of 106.58.

UPCOMING COVID-19 VACCINE CLINICS:

Allegany County Fairgrounds, 11400 Moss Avenue, Cumberland, MD

·        Moderna Booster Clinic (ages 18+):

o   January 26:  9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
https://www.marylandvax.org/appointment/en/reg/6012927169

·        First and second doses of Moderna (ages 18+), first and second doses of Pfizer (ages 12+), and booster doses of Pfizer (ages 12+) are available on a walk-in basis from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  No appointment is necessary.

Allegany County Health Department, Willowbrook Office Complex – Ground Floor, 12501 Willowbrook Road, Cumberland, MD

·        Youth Pfizer Vaccine Clinic (ages 5 -11) by appointment only.  Register online by clinic date at the following link:

o   January 26:  3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
https://www.marylandvax.org/appointment/en/reg/7251910065

For assistance registering for an appointment, county residents can call the COVID-19 call center at 240-650-3999. COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are also widely available at local pharmacies, urgent care clinics, and some primary care providers. 

The health department continues to offer free drive-thru COVID-19 testing at the Allegany County Fairgrounds in Cumberland on Mondays from 2 to 7 p.m. and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Those tests are PCR tests (not rapid tests) and results typically come back within 48 hours.  Free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests are now available by mail and can be ordered by going to http://www.covidtests.gov/.  Four free rapid tests may be requested per residential address. Tests will typically ship within 7-12 days of ordering.

ALLEGANY COUNTY COVID-19 CASE RATE AND POSITIVITY AS OF JANUARY 20:

·        New COVID Cases: 304 (cumulative total 14,704)

·        Additional Deaths: 4 (cumulative total 310)

·        Cases Per 100,000 People: 179.67 (Maryland: 106.58)

·        Positivity Rate: 28.46% (Maryland: 17.14%)

·        Percentage of Population Fully Vaccinated:  49.6% (Maryland:  72.1%)