COVID-19 In Maryland: Over 1,500 Test Positive In Last 24 Hours

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland reported 1,525 new COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths, according to state health department data released Friday morning.

The percentage of people testing positive decreased slightly by .01% to 4.45%. It's the fifth day in a row that positivity decreased.

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 3.8 million Maryland adults are fully vaccinated.

Hospitalizations decreased by 12, to 792. Of those hospitalized, 593 remain in acute care and 211 are in the ICU.

Since the pandemic began, there were 516,784 total confirmed cases and 10,023 deaths.

There are 3,828,936 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 7,767,077 doses. Of those, 3,896,027 are first doses with 4,469 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,531,706 second doses, 5,287 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 297,230 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 324 in the last day.

The state reported 82.5% 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 15,917 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of last Wednesday, Sept. 15.

Of those cases, 1,186 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 8.03% of all Covid cases hospitalized in the state. One hundred thirty fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 7.27% 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
• Anne Arundel County