Harford County Executive Urges Vaccination: 'We're In A Surge'

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — Thirteen people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Harford County as of Monday morning, County Executive Barry Glassman told WBFF.

Of those hospitalized, Glassman said 99 percent were unvaccinated.

"Not being vaccinated really can run the risk of getting you in the hospital and a more severe case of COVID than you would normally get," Glassman said.

About 54.7 percent of the population has been vaccinated in Harford County, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Statewide, about 59.5 percent of the population has been vaccinated.

"We're around the state average in our vaccination rate, but we really still need to do better," Glassman told WBFF Monday.

"We're in a surge kind of numbers-wise right now," Glassman said. "I think Harford County we went over 5 percent [positivity rate] over the weekend."

Positivity, Case Rates Increasing

The coronavirus positivity rate in Harford County hit 5.05 percent Saturday, Aug. 7, and has remained there Monday, according to the Maryland Department of Health. The positivity rate indicates the percentage of tests that come back positive for the coronavirus.

Maryland's positivity rate is 4.16 percent, according to the state health department.

The coronavirus case rate has also ticked up to indicate the infection is spreading in Harford County and across Maryland.

In Harford County, the case rate is 10.51 per 100,000, while Maryland has about 11.85 cases per 100,000, according to state health data released Monday.

When an area exceeds 10 new cases per 100,000, community spread has accelerated and is at dangerous levels, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute. If the case rate is greater than 25 per 100,000, officials say community spread is out of control and may require measures to curb the infection.

Despite the uptick in infections, Glassman said he is still not planning on issuing a mask mandate.

"We're going to continue to kind of follow the state [guidance] on this," Glassman told WBFF Monday of the idea of mandating masks.

Masks: 'That's Your Choice,' Glassman Says

Last week, Gov. Larry Hogan reportedly told media he was "not talking about reinstating a mask mandate" in Maryland.

Baltimore City, Montgomery County and Prince George's County have implemented local mask mandates that require face coverings indoors.

"We urge folks to be careful," Glassman told WBFF. "If you want to wear a mask voluntarily, you're free to do so. I've advised my employees the same thing — if in a county building ... whether you're vaccinated or not, if you feel safer wearing a mask, that's your choice, but right now we're not going to institute any mandates in Harford County at this point."

Because of the highly contagious delta variant, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance at the end of July recommending masks in public indoor settings when in areas with "substantial" or "high" transmission of the coronavirus.

The CDC defines "substantial" transmission as 50 to 99.99 cases per 100,000 people over seven days, while "high" transmission is defined as more than 100 cases per 100,000 during that span.

As shown above, Harford County has about 10.51 cases per 100,000 people, so it is in neither category.

Ultimately the CDC says the best protection is vaccination, as people who have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine are less likely to develop symptoms and severe illness from the virus.

"I expect when we go back indoors in the fall, we're probably going to see another spike in numbers," Glassman said, "so we're trying to get as many folks are vaccinated as we can."

Use the vaccine locator from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to find ac COVID-19 vaccine.

Related:

• 'No Plans For A Mask Mandate': Harford County Executive
• 'We're Not Talking About Reinstating A Mask Mandate': Gov. Larry Hogan
• Major Retailers Requiring Masks In Maryland: See The List