COVID-19 In Maryland: Positivity Rate Nears 5% As Hospitalizations Jump To Over 1K
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland reported 1,031 new Covid-19 cases on Monday as hospitalizations and positivity rate increased, according to data from the state's Department of Health.
LATEST: 903 New Cases, Positivity Rate Above 5%
The new cases reported in the state brings the the total to 409,075 since the pandemic began.
Nine more deaths were reported as a result of the virus for a total of 8,075.
Hospitalizations now stand at 1,039, up 69 since Sunday. Of those, 248 patients are in ICU beds, while 791 are in acute care.
The statewide positivity rate went up slightly to 4.99%.
As of Monday, 899,450 Marylanders are fully vaccinated. The state has administered 2,532,863 doses in total: 1,633,413 first doses, 831,549 second doses and 67,901 have received the single dose vaccine.
Dr. Esti Schabelman is the chief medical officer at Sinai Hospital. He says he's experienced the impact of these new cases at his hospital.
"Over the last three weeks we've seen an increase In the amount of hospitalizations, more than a doubling. We were down to our lowest three 3 weeks ago and it's gone up since then steadily," Dr. Schabelman said.
Dr. Schabelman is worried society is opening up too fast and too many people are ditching the masks and are not keeping their distance.
"I think there's some Covid fatigue first of all," Dr. Schabelman said. "They are sick and tired of not being able to see their friends, their families or not going out to restaurants in general. But I would caution, as it's not the time to drop our efforts,"
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's office announced that every county will be getting more doses of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine this week. His office also said overall allocations have increased.
According to data from the Health Department's website, as of Monday, more than 911,000 Marylanders are fully vaccinated, that's about about 15 percent of the state's population. But Dr. Schabelman said the state needs to vaccinate more than 70 percent of the population in order to reach herd immunity.
"The fact remains that the fix for this increase is the same as the fix is always been. It's social distancing, mask wearing get the vaccine if
it's available to you," Dr. Schabelman said.
On Tuesday, another group will be eligible to register for vaccines.
Gov. Hogan has said the hope is that everyone above the age of 16 will be eligible for a vaccine by April 27th.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
- Coronavirus Resources: How To Get Help In Maryland
- TIMELINE: Coronavirus In Maryland, Tracking The Spread
- Latest coronavirus stories from WJZ
- Latest CDC Guidelines
Here's a breakdown of COVID-19 cases and deaths (probable deaths are listed with an asterisk):
By County
| County | Cases | Deaths | |
| Allegany | 6,508 | (201) | 1* |
| Anne Arundel | 38,671 | (548) | 14* |
| Baltimore City | 44,237 | (921) | 22* |
| Baltimore County | 55,451 | (1,328) | 34* |
| Calvert | 3,898 | (73) | 1* |
| Caroline | 2,112 | (22) | 0* |
| Carroll | 8,192 | (212) | 5* |
| Cecil | 5,320 | (124) | 2* |
| Charles | 9,676 | (169) | 2* |
| Dorchester | 2,464 | (47) | 1* |
| Frederick | 18,097 | (291) | 9* |
| Garrett | 1,900 | (61) | 1* |
| Harford | 13,898 | (251) | 4* |
| Howard | 17,148 | (220) | 6* |
| Kent | 1,216 | (42) | 2* |
| Montgomery | 66,491 | (1,422) | 46* |
| Prince George's | 77,701 | (1,355) | 29* |
| Queen Anne's | 2,692 | (39) | 1* |
| St. Mary's | 5,396 | (122) | 0* |
| Somerset | 2,469 | (37) | 0* |
| Talbot | 1,954 | (36) | 0* |
| Washington | 13,156 | (259) | 3* |
| Wicomico | 7,066 | (149) | 0* |
| Worcester | 3,362 | (91) | 1* |
| Data not available | 0 | (55) | 1* |
By Age Range and Gender
| Age/Gender | Cases | Deaths | |
| 0-9 | 21,098 | (3) | 0* |
| 10-19 | 40,193 | (6) | 1* |
| 20-29 | 74,745 | (35) | 1* |
| 30-39 | 70,040 | (77) | 6* |
| 40-49 | 61,622 | (225) | 5* |
| 50-59 | 61,482 | (629) | 25* |
| 60-69 | 41,509 | (1,308) | 17* |
| 70-79 | 23,256 | (2,060) | 38* |
| 80+ | 15,130 | (3,730) | 92* |
| Data not available | 0 | (2) | 0* |
| Female | 213,674 | (3,891) | 91* |
| Male | 195,401 | (4,184) | 94* |
| Unknown | 0 | () | 0* |
By Race and Ethnicity
| Race/Ethnicity | Cases | Deaths | |
| African-American (NH) | 120,416 | (2,788) | 66* |
| Asian (NH) | 9,633 | (281) | 7* |
| White (NH) | 143,242 | (4,140) | 96* |
| Hispanic | 64,371 | (731) | 15* |
| Other (NH) | 19,305 | (83) | 0* |
| Data not available | 52,108 | (52) | 1* |
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.
