September 9th, 2021 by WCBC Radio

The Maryland Department of Health Thursday announced an update on the top 10 and bottom 10 skilled nursing facilities in the state ranked by percentage of staff with at least one dose of a vaccine against COVID-19 and highly contagious variants. Among the facilities with the best rates in the state: Allegany Health and Nursing Rehabilitation in Cumberland; and Moran Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Westernport- both with 92% rate. Among the worst in the state: Cumberland Health Care Center at 50% followed closely by Sterling Care at Frostburg Village at 52%. Per new vaccination protocols that went into effect on September 1, all nursing home staff are now required to have their first or single dose of COVID-19 vaccine. Nursing homes that fail to comply with the new vaccination protocols or do not report their vaccination data will be subject to increased fines, civil penalties, and enforcement actions.