COVID-19 In Maryland: Hospitalizations Fall Below 1,500
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland's COVID-19 hospitalizations have fallen below 1,500 patients and the statewide positivity rate is just above 7%, according to data released Thursday by the Maryland Department of Health.
Maryland added 2,072 more COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases statewide to 960,201 since the pandemic began.
With hospitalizations falling by 61, the number of COVID-19 patients in Maryland hospitals stands at 1,458. The statewide positivity rate has fallen to 7.15%, a 0.53% decrease since Wednesday.
The statewide death toll rose by 37 in the last day, bringing the tally to 13,353 since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Maryland is in the final day of a 30-day state of emergency issued by Gov. Larry Hogan to combat elevated hospitalizations and infections that forced many hospitals across the state to pivot to crisis standards of care.
Over the past few weeks, Hogan also issued executive orders aimed to shore 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, 1,157 are adults in acute care and 284 are adults in intensive care. Eleven children are in acute care and six more are in the ICU, state data show.
There are 4,400,732 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 11,086,479 million doses of the vaccine.
Of those, 4,642,133 are first doses, 3,320 in the last 24 hours. Another 4,068,257are second doses, 4,047 in the past day. A total of 332,475 Marylanders have gotten the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 132 in the past day.
The state has administered 2,043,614 boosters, 7,924 in the past 24 hours.
