COVID-19 In Maryland: Hospitalizations Below 1,400 & Positivity Rate Below 7%
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland's COVID-19 hospitalizations have fallen below 1,400 patients and the statewide positivity rate is below 7%, according to data released Friday by the Maryland Department of Health.
Maryland added 1,602 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases statewide to 961,805 since the pandemic began.
With hospitalizations falling by 80, the number of COVID-19 patients in Maryland hospitals stands at 1,378. The statewide positivity rate has dipped to 6.69%, a 0.46% decrease since Thursday.
The statewide death toll rose by 44 in the last day, bringing the tally to 13,397 since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maryland recently wrapped up a 30-day state of emergency issued by Gov. Larry Hogan to confront elevated hospitalizations and infections that forced hospitals statewide to pivot to crisis standards of care.
Over the past few weeks, Hogan also issued executive orders aimed at shoring up workforces in nursing homes, hospitals and emergency medical services.
Despite these efforts, the Maryland Hospital Association on Tuesday said that hospitals continue to struggle with staffing issues. That includes 3,900 nursing vacancies, a 50% increase since late August.
Bob Atlas, the organization's president and chief executive officer, said the MHA is appreciative of Gov. Hogan's efforts to address staffing shortages but he noted that more needs to be done.
"Unfortunately, the Governor's legislation and other proposed bills to address hospitals' workforce challenges will not become law before the 30-day public health emergency runs out this Friday," Atlas said.
Of those currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Maryland, 1,092 are adults in acute care and 270 are adults in intensive care. Eleven children are in acute care and six more are in the ICU, state data show.
There are 4,404,957 Marylanders fully vaccinated and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 94.7% of the state's adults have gotten at least one dose. When you factor in children age 5 and older, 89.1% of the population has gotten at least one dose of the vaccine.
The state has administered 11,101,336 million doses of the vaccine.
Of those, 4,645,445 are first doses, 3,312 in the last 24 hours. Another 4,072,422 are second doses, 4,165 in the past day. A total of 332,535 Marylanders have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 60 in the past day.
The state has administered 2,050,934 boosters, 7,320 in the past 24 hours.
