Hospitalizations Plunge As Anne Arundel Continues To Recover

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Last week was one of Anne Arundel County's best stretches in months. Infections plummeted. Hospitalizations plunged. And deaths decreased.

There is still room for improvement, however. Cases are still about as high as the second wave that the county battled over the summer. Anne Arundel also passed 500 confirmed deaths this week. Furthermore, the county still ranks in the bottom quartile of coronavirus vaccine rollout.

Last week's 521 infections are down 213 from the week prior. It was the third straight week that Anne Arundel recorded less than 1,000 new cases. Before that, the county had clocked more than 1,ooo new infections per week for about three consecutive months.

The virus also killed 11 county residents last week, which is seven fewer than the week before, the Maryland Department of Health said. Here's a look at where the numbers stand in Anne Arundel County.

Vaccine Update

• Currently: 11.59 percent
• Trend: Up by 1.52 percentage points

The state tallies the number of Marylanders who have gotten the immunization on this website. So far, 67,159 Anne Arundel County residents have received their first shot. That's up 8,832 from last week, and it's 11.59 percent of the population.

Anne Arundel County now has the sixth-lowest vaccination rate in the state. That's a one-spot improvement from last week. Kent County leads the way with 21.7 percent immunization.

The second dose has reached 31,360 locals. That's 6,540 more than a week ago, and it's 5.41 percent of all county residents.

For more information on Anne Arundel County's vaccination plan, click here. To see when you'll be eligible for the inoculation, read Patch's explainer. Check out our how-to guide to learn how to sign up for the shot.

Coronavirus Case Rate:

• Currently: 13.91
• Trend: Down by 2.49

Health officials focus on several metrics to evaluate the coronavirus pandemic. The most frequently-used are the case rate, hospitalizations and percent positivity.

The case rate is a per-capita measure that makes it easy to compare places with different populations. A jurisdiction's case rate is the average number of new coronavirus infections-per-day that it registers over a rolling week per 100,000 people.

Anne Arundel County's case rate is still hovering around its summertime high, but it has fallen to 13.91. That's down by 2.49 from this time last week, and it's the lowest since Nov. 1, 2020. The case rate has plummeted since Jan. 12, when the county set a record high of 64.99.

Anne Arundel's case rate hit previous peaks of 13.4 on June 3, 2020 and 14.26 on Aug. 2, 2020. It reached an all-time low of 3.53 on June 26, 2020.

Hospitalizations

• Currently: 63
• Trend: Down by 24

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations are starting to fall, but they are still above their summertime lows. The disease left 63 Anne Arundel County residents hospitalized on Sunday. That's down 24 from the week prior, and it's the lowest since Nov. 15, 2020.

Anne Arundel is easing down from its Jan. 8 peak of 168 hospitalizations, which were the second-most ever. The record high of 172 came on April 21, 2020. Hospitalizations hit an overall low of 21 on Sept. 21, 2020.

ICU Hospitalizations

• Currently: 10
• Trend: Down by nine

Covid ActNow, a coronavirus statistics website, estimates that Anne Arundel County has 50 beds in the intensive care unit. Hospitals need to save some of these beds for emergencies that aren't related to coronavirus.

On Sunday, Anne Arundel had 10 patients in the ICU with the virus. That's down by nine from this time last week, and it's the lowest since Nov. 1, 2020. That's a significant drop from the 43 ICU hospitalizations registered on Jan. 14, which were the most since May 13, 2020.

ICU usage maxed out at 49 on May 13, 2020. It receded to 4 by Aug. 24, 2020.

Positivity Rate

• Currently: 5.09 percent
• Trend: Down by 0.53 percentage points

The county's positivity decreased last week. This is the percentage of coronavirus tests that come back positive over a moving seven days.

The statistic also measures whether an area has enough tests to identify most of its infections. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said a positivity rate of less than 5 percent demonstrates that a region has enough testing to control its outbreak.

Anne Arundel County's positivity rate fell to 5.09 percent on Sunday. That's down by 0.53 percentage points from this time last week, and it's the lowest since Nov. 28, 2020.

The positivity rate has steadily declined since Jan. 3. That's when the rate peaked at 10.4 percent, which was the highest since May 30, 2020. The positivity rate is down from its April 16, 2020 high of 28.16 percent, but it's still up from its Aug. 16, 2020 low of 2.29 percent.

Total Cases And Deaths

Anne Arundel County's 35,166 coronavirus infections are the fifth most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 508 county residents.

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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.