COVID-19 In Maryland: 2.9K New Cases, 46 More Deaths Reported Thursday; Hopkins Professor Says Winter Will Be 'Final Surge'
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- There were nearly 3,000 new coronavirus cases reported Thursday in the state of Maryland, according to new numbers shared by the health department.
In the last 24 hours, the state reported 2,973 new cases of COVID-19. That brings the total as of Dec. 31, 2020, to 276,662 total cases. It's the fourth-highest single-day case total on record in the state.
Forty-six more Marylanders have died from the virus, bringing the death toll to 5,727.
Hospitalizations also went up by 17 to 1,773. Of those hospitalized, 399 patients are in the ICU.
The statewide positivity rate also slightly increased to 8.52%.
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More than 5.7 million coronavirus tests have been administered in the state over the span of the pandemic with 35,860 new tests given in the last 24 hours. Of those, 2,525,806 people have tested negative.
More than 10,000 vaccinations against the virus were reported in the past 24 hours, but in terms of population, less than a percent of the Baltimore metro area has gotten a vaccine.
While health officials say worse days are yet to come, a doctor from Johns Hopkins says there's light at the end of the tunnel.
"There is a tremendous amount of serious trouble headed towards us the next couple months," said Eili Klein, an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Still, Klein said better days are ahead once a dangerous winter ends.
"This is the final surge of COVID," Klein said. "Once the vaccine is in wide-scale distribution, we are not going to have this problem, we are not going to have to shut things down. We are not going to have to avoid going to each others' houses, but unfortunately, we have to get through the next couple of months."
Here's a breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Maryland (probable deaths are listed with an asterisk):
By County
| County | Cases | Deaths | |
| Allegany | 5,404 | (153) | 0* |
| Anne Arundel | 24,408 | (352) | 13* |
| Baltimore City | 31,537 | (683) | 21* |
| Baltimore County | 38,657 | (904) | 29* |
| Calvert | 2,231 | (44) | 1* |
| Caroline | 1,319 | (10) | 0* |
| Carroll | 5,168 | (161) | 4* |
| Cecil | 3,568 | (72) | 2* |
| Charles | 6,036 | (123) | 1* |
| Dorchester | 1,372 | (22) | 0* |
| Frederick | 11,301 | (186) | 8* |
| Garrett | 1,456 | (49) | 1* |
| Harford | 8,551 | (160) | 4* |
| Howard | 11,222 | (174) | 6* |
| Kent | 737 | (25) | 2* |
| Montgomery | 46,200 | (1,081) | 43* |
| Prince George's | 54,581 | (1,058) | 27* |
| Queen Anne's | 1,664 | (27) | 1* |
| Somerset | 1,792 | (22) | 0* |
| St. Mary's | 3,255 | (87) | 0* |
| Talbot | 1,164 | (8) | 0* |
| Washington | 8,206 | (147) | 2* |
| Wicomico | 4,675 | (77) | 0* |
| Worcester | 2,158 | (47) | 1* |
| Data not available | 0 | (55) | 2* |
By Age Range and Gender
| Age/Gender | Cases | Deaths | |
| 0-9 | 12,541 | (1) | 0* |
| 10-19 | 25,021 | (4) | 1* |
| 20-29 | 51,169 | (27) | 1* |
| 30-39 | 48,615 | (61) | 6* |
| 40-49 | 42,905 | (172) | 4* |
| 50-59 | 41,557 | (447) | 20* |
| 60-69 | 27,801 | (882) | 17* |
| 70-79 | 16,004 | (1,450) | 30* |
| 80+ | 11,049 | (2,681) | 89* |
| Data not available | 0 | (2) | 0* |
| Female | 145,179 | (2,777) | 82* |
| Male | 131,483 | (2,950) | 86* |
By Race and Ethnicity
| Race/Ethnicity | Cases | Deaths | |
| African-American (NH) | 80,223 | (2,108) | 60* |
| Asian (NH) | 5,794 | (187) | 7* |
| White (NH) | 89,801 | (2,753) | 85* |
| Hispanic | 47,989 | (563) | 14* |
| Other (NH) | 12,735 | (58) | 0* |
| Data not available | 40,120 | (58) | 2* |
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
