COVID-19 In Maryland: Hospitalizations Dip Below 400 Patients
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maryland are below 400 patients for the first time since August, according to the latest data from the Maryland Department of Health.
There are 20 fewer patients in the hospital with COVID-19, bringing the number of hospitalizations to 398. The last time hospitalizations were below 400 patients was Aug. 7, when there were 374.
Of Maryland's COVID-19 patients, 325 are adults in acute care and 63 are adults in intensive care. Five children are in acute care and five are in the ICU.
Maryland added 389 COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total of confirmed cases statewide to 1,002,279 since the pandemic began. A small fraction of those are cases of reinfection dating back to September.
The seven-day positivity rate for COVID-19 dropped to 2.25%, which represents a 0.11% decrease and over a 90% drop from last month's high.
The statewide death toll now stands at 13,859, up three since Sunday.
With Maryland's health metrics showing significant improvement in recent weeks, state and local officials have begun rolling back safety measures that were put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.
The Maryland State Board of Education voted Tuesday to rescind its mask mandate for public schools, leaving it up to local school districts -- a decision that was approved by a Maryland General Assembly panel.
On Thursday, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced that the city would lift its indoor mask mandate on March 1, though protocols will remain in place for students in Baltimore City Public Schools.
Baltimore County Schools also announced they will be going mask optional starting on Tuesday, March 1.
The state continues to encourage residents to get vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19, even offering a $2 million lottery as an incentive for boosters.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 95% of Maryland's adult population has gotten at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 90.2% of Marylanders ages 5 and up have gotten a shot.
There are 4,484,723 Marylanders fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Maryland has administered 11,364,398 million doses of the vaccine.
Of those, 4,710,149 are first doses, 1,249 in the last 24 hours. Another 4,149,939 are second doses, 1,624 in the last day. A total of 334,784 Marylanders have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 33 in the last day.
The state has administered 2,169,526 boosters, 3,055 over the past 24 hours.