Half Of Anne Arundel Is Partially Vaccinated; County Sets Record

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Around 42 percent of Anne Arundel County residents are fully inoculated. About 52 percent have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Leaders are still pushing the immunizations. Gov. Larry Hogan partnered with Ledo Pizza to offer free meals for inoculated Marylanders. Anne Arundel County Public Schools also announced vaccine clinics for students and employees 12 and up.

The immunizations have helped slow infections around the county. Anne Arundel now has its lowest positivity rate ever.

This progress helped the Maryland State House reopen without requiring masks. The Anne Arundel County Board of Education also allowed small crowds at its meetings. Plus, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport saw its highest daily passenger count since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Despite the progress, the virus is not yet eradicated. The county passed 600 total deaths last week.

Businesses are still facing challenges from the economic downturn. Dozens of Annapolis establishments won grants to help them push through the pandemic. County Executive Steuart Pittman hinted that he may allow expanded outdoor dining capacity until the fall. This would let restaurants serve more customers than normal, potentially boosting their sales.

Other community organizations are still battling the remaining side effects of the pandemic. The Odenton Volunteer Fire Company canceled its carnival and Labor Day parade for the second straight year. That's normally a significant fundraiser for the fire department.

The Anne Arundel County Food Bank also postponed its largest spring food drive. The food pantry asked residents to donate online to overcome this setback.

Improving Metrics

In other news, the coronavirus case rate is at its best clip since last July. The hospitalization count is hovering around its lowest mark since September 2020. Plus, the percent positivity is at a record low.

Last week's 194 cases are down 108 from the week prior. This is the third straight week that Anne Arundel posted less than 500 infections in a seven-day span. Before this stretch, the county hadn't accomplished the feat since the week before Halloween. A 2.5-month spike followed the holiday.

That surge ended in January. The county has since recorded less than 1,000 new cases for 15 straight weeks.

The virus also killed seven county residents last week, which is two more than the seven days prior, the Maryland Department of Health said. Here's a look at where the numbers stand in Anne Arundel County.

Full Vaccinations

• Currently: 42.33 percent
• Trend: Up by 3.66 percentage points
• Rank: 11th out of the state's 24 jurisdictions
• Trend: No change
• Comments: After slowing down for seven days, new immunizations sped up slightly last week but fell short of the record high. New inoculations have declined in four of the past six weeks.

All Marylanders 12 and up are now eligible for the inoculation. For more information on Anne Arundel County's vaccination plan, click here. Check out our how-to guide to learn how to sign up for the shot. Head to Patch's immunization page to keep up with Maryland's latest vaccine news.

At Least One Dose

• Currently: 52.19 percent
• Trend: Up by 2.4 percentage points

This is the percentage of residents who have gotten at least one dose of the inoculation. The Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines both require two shots. The Johnson & Johnson immunization only has one injection.

Coronavirus Case Rate

• Currently: 4.78
• Trend: Down by 2.67
• Comments: New cases declined for the sixth straight week. Before that, infections climbed for seven consecutive weeks. This is the lowest clip since July 2, 2020.
• Recent High: 24.74 on April 14
• Recent Low: 4.78 on May 23
• Overall High: 64.99 on Jan. 12
• Overall Low: 3.53 on June 26, 2020

Hospitalizations

• Currently: 29
• Trend: Down by 11
• Comments: Hospitalizations dropped for the sixth straight week. They have dipped by 57 in this span. Hospitalizations were even lower on May 13 when they fell to 25. That was the lowest mark since Sept. 28, 2020.
• Recent High: 99 on April 13
• Recent Low: 25 on May 13
• Overall High: 172 on April 21, 2020
• Overall Low: 21 on Sept. 21, 2020

ICU Hospitalizations

• Currently: 9
• Trend: Up by 2
• Comments: After declining for two straight weeks, ICU hospitalizations rose slightly over the past seven days. They were even lower on May 15 when they fell to six. That was the lowest count since Sept. 13, 2020.
• Recent High: 43 on Jan. 14
• Recent Low: 6 on May 15
• Overall High: 49 on May 13, 2020
• Overall Low: 4 on Aug. 24, 2020

Positivity Rate

• Currently: 2.28 percent
• Trend: Down by 1.22 percentage points
• Comments: The positivity rate declined for the sixth straight week. It was on a six-week hike before that. This is the lowest percent positivity the county has ever had.
• Recent High: 7.47 percent on April 8
• Recent Low: 2.28 percent on May 23
• Overall High: 28.16 percent on April 16, 2020
• Overall Low: 2.28 percent on May 23

Total Cases And Deaths

Anne Arundel County's 43,644 coronavirus infections are the fifth most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 602 county residents.

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RELATED:

• Vaccine Benchmark Nears; Anne Arundel Expands Eligibility
• How To Get COVID-19 Vaccine In Anne Arundel County
• Odenton Carnival, Memorial Day Parade Canceled Due To Pandemic
• 44 Annapolis Businesses Win Grants To Push Through Pandemic
• Outdoor Dining Could Stay Til Fall; Anne Arundel Economy Improves
• AACPS Vaccinates Younger Students, Okays Small Crowds At Meetings
• State House Will Reopen To Visitors, Masks Won't Be Required
• Largest Spring Food Drive Postponed; County Food Bank Needs Help
• Free Ledo Pizza Offered To Vaccinated Marylanders

Have a story idea? Please contact me at jacob.baumgart@patch.com with any pitches, tips or questions. Follow me on Twitter @JacobBaumgart and on Facebook @JacobBaumgartJournalist to stay up-to-date with the latest Anne Arundel County and Prince George's County news.