COVID-19 In Maryland: Positivity Rate Drops Below 3%, Over 400K Booster Shots Administered

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Maryland reported 482 new COVID-19 cases and five new deaths, according to state health department data released Tuesday morning.

The percentage of people testing positive decreased by .11% to 2.95%.

Hospitalizations decreased by 5 to 568. Of those hospitalized, 420 adults remain in acute care and 143 adults are in the ICU. Three children are in acute care and two kids are in intensive care.

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 4 million Maryland adults are fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, October 26.

Since the pandemic began, there were 562,200 total confirmed cases and 10,682 deaths.

There are 4,039,592 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 8,537,704 doses. Of those, 4,082,378 are first doses with 3,902 administered in the past 48 hours. They have given out 3,726,563 second doses, 4,806 in the last day.

"Thanks to the millions of people who have rolled up their sleeves, Maryland continues to be one of the most vaccinated states in America," said Governor Hogan of the eight million milestone mark. "We have achieved these numbers with strong public health outreach, innovative lottery and scholarship promotions, and a relentless focus on equity."

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 313,029 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 300 in the last day.

On September 24, after the CDC granted final approval for Pfizer's booster, Gov. Hogan announced the immediate authorization of the booster shot for Marylanders who have received their second Pfizer shot at least six months ago. Hogan had already approved use for vulnerable populations in early September.

The state has administered 415,734 additional or booster vaccine doses, 16,263 in the last day.

The state reported 86.5% 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 29,187 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of Oct. 27.

Less than 0.8% of fully vaccinated Marylanders have later tested positive.

Of those cases, 2,131 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 11.87% of all COVID cases hospitalized in the state. 295 fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 12.75% 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