HoCo Becomes 1st In State To Vaccinate 80 Percent Of Residents

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Howard County has become the first county in the state to have at least 80 percent of its eligible residents age 12 and older fully vaccinated, according to the Maryland Department of Health, and 67.8 percent of the county's total population has been fully vaccinated.

Howard County is the first county in the state to reach 85 percent and 65 percent in each respective category, officials noted.

“I’m so proud of our community. This could not have been accomplished alone and I want to thank our first responders, healthcare workers, volunteers and state partners who have worked tirelessly on the front lines since December to get shots into arms,” Howard County Executive Calvin Ball said. “These metrics indicate what we all know – when times are tough, our community comes together to take care and support each other. With the recent uptick of COVID-19 cases and the spreading of the delta variant, it’s become abundantly clear how important it is to get vaccinated.”

The county’s 7-day average positivity rate is 2.07 percent, the 7-day average case per 100,000 of the population is at 5.57 and a coronavirus utilization rate of 1.6 percent at Howard County General Hospital.

“Howard County residents have done an incredible job of protecting themselves, their families and the community by getting vaccinated. This is a great milestone to reach in our fight against the COVID-19 virus,” Dr. Maura Rossman, Howard County Health Officer, said. “However, we know that there are more people who are eligible for the vaccine, but have yet to take that important next step to receive the vaccination."

Rossman noted that while Howard County's coronavirus metrics are within an acceptable range, there are on the rise as a result of the Delta variant's community spread.

"It is more highly contagious and transmissible than the native virus, which means that the unvaccinated are at greater risk for hospitalization and death. We encourage those who have yet to be vaccinated to talk to their healthcare provider about the importance of vaccination. For vaccinated individuals, we hope you will share your vaccination experiences to inspire those who have yet to get the vaccine to do so," she said.

The Howard County Health Department has multiple COVID-19 vaccine clinics located around the county. To find a HCHD clinic, visit vaccine.howardcountymd.gov.