Record Low In Key Coronavirus Metric Achieved By Prince George's

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Coronavirus has disproportionately shook Prince George's County, where local rates have consistently exceeded statewide clips. Tuesday offered a sign of hope, however.

The county's seven-day positivity rate dropped to 4.15 percent, which is the lowest it has been since Maryland started tracking the statistic. The metric indicates what percentage of coronavirus tests come back positive over a rolling week.

While this measurement is not a catch-all statistic, it helps health officials determine whether they have enough testing to identify all the coronavirus infections in an area. A lower positivity rate demonstrates more control over viral spread.

The recent decline in percent positivity reverses its two-week-long hike. Between Aug. 30 and Sept. 15, the positivity rate jumped by 1.53 percent. The metric has since fallen by 1.75 percent.

Coronavirus Statistics Update

Prince George's County is one of four Maryland jurisdictions to remain in Stage 2 of coronavirus recovery. Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City and Montgomery County are also still in the second phase of reopenings.

The remaining 20 counties entered the third and final stage on Sept. 4 when Gov. Larry Hogan said that all Maryland businesses can reopen at their county's discretion. He emphasized, however, that jurisdictions can move at their own pace and that businesses may only reopen when their local government permits.

Prince George's County continues to have the most coronavirus cases in the state, and its metrics are higher than many Maryland averages.

The most recent data clock Prince George's positivity rate at 4.15 percent, which is 1.5 percent higher than the statewide clip. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says municipalities should aim to keep their positivity rate below 5 percent. When counties hit this mark, Maryland health leaders say it is likely safe to return to schools for hybrid instruction.

Prince George's County first achieved this benchmark on Aug. 20. It remained under the 5-percent goal until Sept. 9.

After a brief spike, the county met the 5-percent checkpoint once again on Sept. 19. The local positivity rate topped out at 41.98 percent on May 2.

School officials still plan to keep classes online until at least January of 2021. Prince George's County Public Schools will re-evaluate the local coronavirus situation throughout the fall with hopes of offering a hybrid option for the second semester, which starts on Jan. 28.

While Prince George's meets the percent positive guideline, it does not meet the state's new infections-per-capita marker. State health officials say jurisdictions should aim for less than five new coronavirus cases-per-day per 100,000 people. When an area hits this case rate goal, the state says it is probably safe to reopen the district's schools for expanded in-person learning.

Prince George's County's case rate has been higher than Maryland's since March 24. It hit an overall peak of 38.05 on May 7 before receding to its minimum of 7.57 by July 2.

A second surge spiked Prince George's case rate to another peak of 19.04 on Aug. 4. Infections slowed by Aug. 31, dropping the case rate to 10.65.

Now, the county hopes to fend off a third wave, as the case rate has grown to 13.65. That's nearly triple the requirement to return to expanded in-person instruction

The county must average less than 45.47 new coronavirus cases-per-day over a rolling week to meet the state's per-capita suggestion. Prince George's County has averaged 110.43 infections-per-day during the last seven reported days. The virus has killed 795 county residents.

Prince George's coronavirus-related hospitalizations have plateaued as of late. The virus had 47 county residents in the hospital during the last recorded week. Hospitalizations hit a recent low of 45 in the week of July 5. Since then, they have fluctuated between 47 and 60.

Fewer than 69 coronavirus patients have been in the hospital at a time since the week of June 21. More than 240 people were hospitalized in Prince George's County on the pandemic's peak during the week of May 3.

"It is critically important that we not become complacent with COVID-19," Alsobrooks said at a Sept. 3 press conference, announcing that the county would stay in Stage 2. "I know that we have dealt with this for a long time and so many of us are getting restless, but ... I am urging all of you to please listen."

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