Summer Surge: As Coronavirus Infections Rise In Maryland, Some Reveal Why They Won't Get Vaccine; Hogan Says 'Breakthrough' Infections Under 1%

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Less than half of people in Baltimore City are fully vaccinated. Dondrick Ford said he is one of those who remains hesitant. "I'm not even going to lie to you, I'm not vaccinated, but I am going to get vaccinated," Ford told WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren.

He said the recent rise in COVID—19 cases fueled by the more contagious Delta variant has changed his mind.

"Even though I do have concerns about vaccinations, to me it will probably save my life," Ford said.

Hospitalizations increased Tuesday. There are 208 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19 with 140 in acute care and 49 in the ICU.

In some neighborhoods, fewer than 30% of people have taken the vaccine. On Wednesday, Maryland recorded more than 400 new infections for the first time since May.

Despite that, Kevin BooDoo told Hellgren he still is not ready to get the shot.

"I haven't been vaccinated. I don't think enough research has been done," said Boodoo, who told us he wears his mask whenever he is inside public spaces. "I'm kind of skeptical about having a vaccine that hasn't been proven."

Baltimore's NAACP Branch President Dr. Kobi Little said the risk of hospitalization and death without the shots is too high.

"In the Black community, we should be terribly, terribly concerned that our vaccination levels are so low because it means that we are incredibly vulnerable," Rev. Little said at a town hall. "There are some Black zip codes in Baltimore City where the vaccination level is at 20%. That means that in every group of 10 people, 8 people are not vaccinated. It means that not just a majority, but the vast, overwhelming majority of people are susceptible."

Mayor Brandon Scott pleaded with people to get the vaccine again on Wednesday. "100% of fatalities during the month of June in Maryland were from unvaccinated residents. It's that plain and simple. Women lie. Men lie. The numbers don't," Mayor Scott said.

Governor Hogan said the vaccine is remarkably effective and revealed at the Board of Public Works there have been very few breakthrough cases among those who've gotten the shots. He said they account for .07% of infections.

There are now 3,546,233 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered a total of 7,147,314 doses. Of those,3,601,081 are first doses with 6,630 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,275,034 second doses, 5,818 in the last day.

Dr Esti Schabelman, the chief medical officer at Sinai Hospital, advised people to keep wearing their masks indoors in public spaces. The Centers for Disease Control issued that same guidance in areas where the transmission rate is high.

Dr. Schabelman told Hellgren the clock is ticking before Covid mutates again as cases increase at even greater numbers. "The virus spreads exponentially. Yes, we had 400 today, but we had 80 a couple of weeks ago. So we would expect this virus to spread in an exponential manner, and we could have thousands in a couple of weeks. So we have to be very, very careful. We have not reached heard immunity—and there are plenty of unvaccinated people still in Maryland," the doctor said.

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

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