COVID-19 In Maryland: Hospitalizations Dip To 2,330, Positivity Rate Below 15%
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland added nearly 2,700 new COVID-19 cases as the statewide positivity rate and hospitalizations continue to fall, according to data released Monday by the Maryland Department of Health.
But even as those key metrics fade from peak levels recorded earlier this month, Gov. Larry Hogan and healthcare leaders are warning Marylanders not to let their guards down, with Hogan saying Thursday that "we're not out of the woods."
Hospitalizations fell to 2,330, decreasing by 130 over the past 24 hours and down from a Jan. 11 peak of 3,462 patients. The positivity rate, which flirted with 30% on Jan. 5, has fallen to 14.81%, a 0.46% decrease compared to Sunday.
Hogan on Thursday said the next week or so will be key to the state's response to surging infections, and he encouraged Marylanders to continue wearing masks and avoiding crowds, and to get tested and vaccinated.
"Even though we have been able to attain considerable drops in the metrics, and they're continuing to drop, they're still much higher than they had been or where we need to be," the governor said.
Maryland is in the midst of a 30-day state of emergency Hogan issued this month in response to surging infections and hospitalizations, which pushed several hospitals to near- or at-capacity levels.
Of the Marylanders hospitalized with COVID-19, 1,851 are adults in acute care and 448 are adults in intensive care, while 23 are children in acute care and eight are in the ICU.
With the state reporting an additional 2,690 COVID-19 cases, a total of 938,314 cases have been confirmed in Maryland since the outset of the pandemic.
The state reported 35 more people have died of COVID-19, bringing Maryland's death toll to 12,904.
In recent weeks, the state has ramped up its testing operations in an effort to keep up with public demand. That includes opening 20 new testing sites statewide with support from the Maryland National Guard.
There are 4,364,172 Marylanders fully vaccinated and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 94.2% of the state's adults have gotten at least one dose. Among Marylanders age 5 and older, 88.4% of residents have gotten at least one does of the vaccine.
The state has administered 10,918,684 doses of the vaccine.
Of those, 4,605,533 are first doses, 2,528 in the last 24 hours. Another 4,032,827 are second doses, 1,371 in the past day. A total of 331,345 Marylanders have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 88 in the past day.
The state has administered 1,948,979 boosters, 6,849 in the past 24 hours.
