Third Of Anne Arundel Fully Vaccinated; In-Person Events Targeted

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Around 36 percent of Anne Arundel County residents are fully immunized. About 48 percent have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

In-Person Events Return

With metrics improving, some activities are returning to Anne Arundel County. Three senior centers reopened last week. Baltimore/Washington International Airport had its second-busiest day since the coronavirus pandemic began. And Eastport's 0.05K Bridge Run is back, albeit virtually.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools has also made progress. The school system recently announced plans for:

• Fully in-person classes this fall with some exceptions
• In-person graduation ceremonies
• Optional high school vaccination clinics
• Small crowds at spring sporting events

Johnson & Johnson Is Back

After setting a seven-day inoculation record, the county saw slight setbacks for three straight weeks. This came after Anne Arundel paused all Johnson & Johnson shots following six reports of rare blood clots. One of those patients is dead, and another was in critical condition, CBS News wrote.

Maryland decided to resume the J&J vaccines after they got federal clearance. The state mainly uses the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna immunizations, so the hiatus didn't derail the rollout, but the pace diminished slightly.

Gov. Larry Hogan hopes to restore full capacity this month. The J&J inoculations began on May 3. Their return helped Anne Arundel have its best vaccine showing in four weeks.

President Joe Biden hopes 70 percent of American adults will have at least one dose by Independence Day. Hogan thinks Maryland will reach that goal even sooner.

Improving Metrics

In other news, the coronavirus case rate is at its best clip since last October. The percent positivity has dipped to its lowest mark since November 2020. Plus, the hospitalization count is at its March level.

Last week's 439 cases are down 120 from the week prior. This is the first time that Anne Arundel posted less than 500 infections in a seven-day span 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 14 straight weeks.

The virus also killed nine 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: 35.52 percent
• Trend: Up by 3.4 percentage points
• Rank: 11th out of the state's 24 jurisdictions
• Trend: Dropped by one slot
• Comments: New immunizations slowed for three consecutive weeks, but the past seven days broke that trend. The pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccines may have caused this drop. Maryland resumed these shots last week, so the doses saw a slight boost. The weekly total was still short of the record high, however.

All Marylanders 16 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: 47.8 percent
• Trend: Up by 2.06 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: 10.83
• Trend: Down by 2.96
• Comments: New cases declined for the fourth straight week. Before that, infections climbed for seven straight weeks. This is the lowest clip since Oct. 24, 2020.
• Recent High: 24.74 on April 14
• Recent Low: 10.83 on May 9
• Overall High: 64.99 on Jan. 12
• Overall Low: 3.53 on June 26, 2020

Hospitalizations

• Currently: 48
• Trend: Down by 12
• Comments: Hospitalizations dropped for the fourth straight week. They have dipped by 38 in this span. This is the lowest mark since March 30.
• Recent High: 99 on April 13
• Recent Low: 39 on March 8
• Overall High: 172 on April 21, 2020
• Overall Low: 21 on Sept. 21, 2020

ICU Hospitalizations

• Currently: 15
• Trend: Down by 3
• Comments: ICU hospitalizations declined for the first time in five weeks. This is the lowest count since April 18.
• Recent High: 43 on Jan. 14
• Recent Low: 7 on Feb. 26
• Overall High: 49 on May 13, 2020
• Overall Low: 4 on Aug. 24, 2020

Positivity Rate

• Currently: 4.04 percent
• Trend: Down by 1.03 percentage points
• Comments: The positivity rate declined for the fourth straight week. It was on a six-week hike before that. This is the lowest percent positivity since Nov. 2, 2020.
• Recent High: 7.47 percent on April 8
• Recent Low: 4.06 percent on Feb. 26
• Overall High: 28.16 percent on April 16, 2020
• Overall Low: 2.29 percent on Aug. 16, 2020

Total Cases And Deaths

Anne Arundel County's 43,148 coronavirus infections are the fifth most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 590 county residents.

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RELATED:

• Vaccine Milestones Approach; Cases Still Falling In Anne Arundel
• How To Get COVID-19 Vaccine In Anne Arundel County
• BWI Has 2nd-Busiest Day In Pandemic As Airlines See Higher Demand
• Fully In-Person Classes Could Come This Fall: AACPS
• AACPS Will Vaccinate Interested Students, Staff In Their Schools

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.