Marylanders aren't dissuaded by multiple COVID infections or the high positivity rate
BALTIMORE -- COVID-19 remains a constant problem even as many Americans continue to venture out after more than two years of the pandemic.
As of Monday, the Maryland Department of Health reported a positivity rate of 9.75%. There was a time during the pandemic when a 5% positivity rate was cause for significant concern.
But with millions of Americans now fully vaccinated, many people are trying to resume pre-pandemic activities.
"It's nice to see the city coming back to life again," said Barry Bruno who is visiting Baltimore from New York with his family.
Bruno and his family attended an Orioles game, which is their annual tradition.
"We keep going, you know, that we don't get fearful again," group member Bev Shropshire said. "Just take the tools and mask up."
But Shropshire also expressed concerns that some people may not be taking all the necessary precautions.
"We were like one of maybe five or six people on the plane with a mask. Why aren't they wearing a mask?" she asked.
Hundreds of people are testing positive every day and the numbers are probably higher because some people test at home.
Doctor Esti Schabelman, the chief medical officer at LifeBridge Health's Sinai hospital said he's seen medical workers get infected multiple times as the virus continues to change.
Dr. Schabelman addressed BA.5, which he said is becoming a dominant variant of Omicron in the United States.
"The one thing that's most concerning about BA.5 is its ability to elude antibodies," Schabelman said. "So whether that's from previous infection or from vaccination, just because you've been vaccinated doesn't mean you can't get Omicron BA.5 or really any of the other Omicrons. Fortunately, they tend to be milder in people who are vaccinated, and the rates of hospitalization in vaccinated people—and death of course are much lower."
According to Johns Hopkins, about 76% of Marylanders are fully vaccinated and that's higher than the national average, which stands at 67%.
As people continue to test the waters, they hope they're making the right choices.
"At this point, I feel like everybody has either gotten COVID or been vaccinated," said Klancie Garrel in Baltimore. "So I'm less concerned with people's vaccination statuses. It's just more of when I go, let's just make sure we're just doing the right stuff."