COVID-19 In Maryland: Cases Jump To 1,553 But Positivity Rate Remains Flat

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland reported 1,553 new COVID-19 cases and 15 deaths, according to state health department data released Friday morning.

The percentage of people testing positive decreased by 0.02, currently sitting at 4.67%.

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 3.7 million Maryland adults are fully vaccinated.

Hospitalizations increased by 14, to 830. Of those hospitalized, 613 remain in acute care and 217 are in the ICU.

Since the pandemic began, there were 508,017 total confirmed cases and 9,915 deaths.

There are 3,780,987 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 7,650,221 doses. Of those, 3,862,436 are first doses with 5,564 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,494,909 second doses, 6,442 in the last day.

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 292,876 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 356 in the last day.

The state reported 81.8% 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 14,006 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of last Sunday, Sept. 5.

Of those cases, 1,060 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 7.4% of all Covid cases hospitalized in the state. One hundred fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 6% 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

By Age Range and Gender

By Race and Ethnicity

In:
• Maryland
• COVID-19