COVID-19 In Maryland: State Surpasses 8M Vaccine Doses Administered As Positivity Dips Below 4%
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland reported 649 new COVID-19 cases and 22 new deaths, according to state health department data released Tuesday morning.
The percentage of people testing positive decreased slightly by .17% to 3.91%.
Doctors say the new cases are fueled by dangerous strains targeting the unvaccinated. During an August press conference, Gov. Larry Hogan said the Delta variant, a strain that is reportedly two to four times more contagious than the original virus strain, accounts for nearly every new confirmed case in Maryland.
"The vaccines are without a doubt our single most effective tool to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and the surging Delta variant, and Maryland's vaccination rate continues to outpace the nation," Hogan said.
More than 3.9 million Maryland adults are fully vaccinated.
Hospitalizations increased by 11 to 774. Of those hospitalized, 573 remain in acute care and 201 are in the ICU.
Since the pandemic began, there were 537,976 total confirmed cases and 10,282 deaths.
There are 3,916,808 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 8,007,738 doses. Of those, 3,971,031 are first doses with 4,227 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,612,101 second doses, 3,816 in the last day.
"Thanks to the millions of people who have rolled up their sleeves, Maryland continues to be one of the most vaccinated states in America," said Governor Hogan of the eight million milestone mark. "We have achieved these numbers with strong public health outreach, innovative lottery and scholarship promotions, and a relentless focus on equity."
The state began to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again in April after the CDC and FDA lifted their pause on the vaccine due to a rare blood clot found in some women.
A total of 304,707 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 336 in the last day.
On September 24, after the CDC granted final approval for Pfizer's booster, Gov. Hogan announced the immediate authorization of the booster shot for Marylanders who have received their second Pfizer shot at least six months ago. Hogan had already approved use for vulnerable populations in early September.
The state has administered 119,899 additional or booster vaccine doses, 8,570 in the last day.
The state reported 84.1% of all adults in Maryland have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
In August, the state launched a post-vaccination infections dashboard that is updated every Wednesday. There have been 18,243 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of last Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Of those cases, 1,331 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 8.73% of all Covid cases hospitalized in the state. One hundred fifty-six fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 8.36% of lab-confirmed Covid deaths in the state.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
- Coronavirus Resources: How To Get Help In Maryland
- TIMELINE: Coronavirus In Maryland, Tracking The Spread And Vaccinations
- Latest coronavirus stories from WJZ
- Latest CDC Guidelines
Here's a breakdown of the numbers:
By County
| County | Cases | Deaths | |
| Allegany | 9,115 | (235) | 2* |
| Anne Arundel | 50,997 | (725) | 15* |
| Baltimore | 74,237 | (1,739) | 42* |
| Baltimore City | 59,635 | (1,287) | 27* |
| Calvert | 5,321 | (96) | 1* |
| Caroline | 2,971 | (39) | 0* |
| Carroll | 11,248 | (273) | 7* |
| Cecil | 8,131 | (165) | 2* |
| Charles | 13,908 | (242) | 2* |
| Dorchester | 3,880 | (73) | 1* |
| Frederick | 23,257 | (356) | 10* |
| Garrett | 2,776 | (70) | 1* |
| Harford | 19,588 | (330) | 8* |
| Howard | 22,041 | (262) | 7* |
| Kent | 1,589 | (50) | 3* |
| Montgomery | 80,365 | (1,630) | 51* |
| Prince George's | 97,263 | (1,645) | 43* |
| Queen Anne's | 3,641 | (64) | 1* |
| St. Mary's | 8,920 | (149) | 1* |
| Somerset | 3,163 | (47) | 0* |
| Talbot | 2,652 | (50) | 0* |
| Washington | 18,137 | (360) | 5* |
| Wicomico | 10,399 | (205) | 0* |
| Worcester | 4,742 | (112) | 1* |
| Data not available | 0 | (78) | 0* |
By Age Range and Gender
| Age/Gender | Cases | Deaths | |
| 0-9 | 35,936 | (4) | 0* |
| 10-19 | 58,821 | (7) | 1* |
| 20-29 | 97,363 | (50) | 1* |
| 30-39 | 92,338 | (133) | 7* |
| 40-49 | 78,661 | (338) | 5* |
| 50-59 | 77,377 | (934) | 34* |
| 60-69 | 51,737 | (1,772) | 28* |
| 70-79 | 28,395 | (2,589) | 47* |
| 80+ | 17,348 | (4,452) | 107* |
| Data not available | 0 | (3) | 0* |
| Female | 281,658 | (4,950) | 111* |
| Male | 256,318 | (5,332) | 119* |
| Unknown Gender | 0 | (0) | 0* |
By Race and Ethnicity
| Race/Ethnicity | Cases | Deaths | |
| African-American (NH) | 169,354 | (3,687) | 85* |
| Asian (NH) | 12,986 | (340) | 11* |
| White (NH) | 200,829 | (5,211) | 114* |
| Hispanic | 76,701 | (862) | 19* |
| Other (NH) | 24,841 | (110) | 1* |
| Data not available | 53,265 | (72) | 0* |