MD Has Vaccinated Over 3.5 Percent Of Population For Coronavirus

MARYLAND — One month after the coronavirus vaccine became available in Maryland, state health officials say more than 3.5 percent of the state's residents have been vaccinated. Although the vaccine has only been available to a limited category of people, such as front-line hospital workers and public safety personnel, that is set to change this week.

Meanwhile, the death toll and case counts continue to climb.

In the past day, 47 deaths in Maryland have been attributed to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, including one child younger than 10 years old.

This is the second person between 0 and 9 years old who has died from COVID-19 in the state. The first — a 1-year-old boy — died in late November.

Maryland has reported 6,369 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began 10 months ago. Most are older adults, with those over 60 accounting for more than 77 percent of the deaths in Maryland.

Montgomery, Prince George's and Baltimore counties have all seen more than 1,000 deaths from the virus, according to the Maryland Department of Health.

Nearly 3,300 cases of the coronavirus have been added in the past day to Maryland's tally, state health officials reported Saturday. There are now more than 324,000 cases of the virus in the state.

When an area's case rate is greater than 25 per 100,000, community spread is out of control and may require measures to curb the infection, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute.

The new case rate peaked at 53.39 cases per 100,000 people in Maryland on Tuesday, Jan. 12 — the highest it has been since the pandemic hit the Free State in March.

"Unfortunately, we are still seeing the impacts of New Year's Eve in our data," Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said at a news conference Friday, Jan. 15, announcing the city will not change its guidelines, which prohibit in-person dining and are more restrictive than the state's. Scott said he would reassess restrictions in the context of Baltimore's health data in the middle of next week.

After three days of decreases, the case rate is now 49.94 cases per 100,000 statewide, the Maryland Department of Health reported Saturday, Jan. 16.

Here are the latest case rates by jurisdiction:

After hospitalizations statewide decreased by 27 in the last day, authorities say 1,821 people are hospitalized with the virus in Maryland Saturday, Jan. 16. That is down from a record-high of 1,957 hospitalizations, reported Monday, Jan. 11.

"Our hospital utilization rates remain very high, with ICUs at 91 percent capacity and our acute care units following closely behind at 90 percent capacity," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Letitia Dzirasa said Friday, Jan. 15.

One bright spot, Dzirasa said, was her update on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Vaccinations To Open To 75-Plus On Monday

Starting Monday, Jan. 18, Maryland will enter phase 1B of its vaccination plan, in which those over 75 years old, residents of group homes or other congregate living facilities, school staff, child care providers, and high-risk inmates will also be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine.

In Baltimore City, the health commissioner said people experiencing homelessness also qualify.

Dzirasa said she was "reassured by the overwhelming interest" residents have shown in the COVID-19 vaccine. In fact, all of Baltimore's appointments for vaccinations have been filled through the end of January, she said, at the Jan. 15 news conference.

"Our teams are working to confirm that individuals who signed up are actually eligible under priority 1B are working to add more appointment slots through external partners," Dzirasa said.

The mayor said he had told Gov. Larry Hogan he was concerned that some older adults may not have access to online appointments, and a solution was in the works.

Vaccinations for those in phase 1C, which will includes all adults between the ages of 65 and 74, is also set to begin on Monday, Jan. 25.

Where Get More Info On Vaccine Access

The state has launched an online portal where residents can find a list of vaccination sites in their area: covidvax.maryland.gov.

Baltimore County launched an online request form for people to register to show their interest in receiving the vaccine.

So did Anne Arundel County, Carroll County, Cecil County, Harford County, Howard County and Montgomery County.

More than 3.5 percent of Maryland's population has received the vaccine for COVID-19 as of Saturday, with the Maryland Department of Health reporting 216,620 people in the state have been vaccinated. In the past day, more than 21,000 people got their first dose of the vaccine, while over 3,000 had their second dose, according to state health officials.

Since late December, vaccinations have been limited to nursing home residents and staff, hospital-based health care workers and public safety personnel.

Here is a look at the state's vaccination plan:

Here's a look at coronavirus in Maryland as of Saturday, Jan. 16:

See Also:

• Maryland Accelerates COVID-19 Vaccination Plan: Gov. Larry Hogan
• Coronavirus Variant Found In Maryland: Governor
• Baltimore Sees Long Lines As Interest In COVID-19 Vaccine Grows
• COVID-19 Vaccination Request Form Launches In Baltimore County
• Youngest Marylander Dies Of Coronavirus: MD Health Officials