Vaccine Benchmark Nears; Anne Arundel Expands Eligibility

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Around 39 percent of Anne Arundel County residents are fully immunized. Nearly 50 percent have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Maryland got a boost last Thursday when it cleared the Pfizer-BioNTech inoculation for residents 12 and older. The shot previously only had emergency-use authorization for locals aged 16 and up. The other two injections, Moderna as well as Johnson & Johnson, are only available to Marylanders 18 and older.

With the immunization becoming increasingly accessible, Gov. Larry Hogan revoked his statewide indoor mask mandate last Friday. Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman followed suit the same day.

Improving Metrics

In other news, the coronavirus case rate is at its best clip since last August. The hospitalization count dipped to its lowest mark since September 2020. Plus, the percent positivity hasn't been this good since last October.

Last week's 302 cases are down 137 from the week prior. This is the second 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 five county residents last week, which is four fewer 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: 38.67 percent
• Trend: Up by 3.15 percentage points
• Rank: 11th out of the state's 24 jurisdictions
• Trend: No change
• Comments: After speeding up for seven days, new immunizations slowed slightly last week and fell short of the record high. Inoculations have declined in four of the past five 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: 49.79 percent
• Trend: Up by 1.99 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: 7.45
• Trend: Down by 3.38
• Comments: New cases declined for the fifth straight week. Before that, infections climbed for seven straight weeks. This is the lowest clip since August 21, 2020.
• Recent High: 24.74 on April 14
• Recent Low: 7.45 on May 16
• Overall High: 64.99 on Jan. 12
• Overall Low: 3.53 on June 26, 2020

Hospitalizations

• Currently: 40
• Trend: Down by 8
• Comments: Hospitalizations dropped for the fifth straight week. They have dipped by 46 in this span. Hospitalizations were even lower on Thursday 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: 7
• Trend: Down by 8
• Comments: ICU hospitalizations declined for the second straight week. They were even lower on Saturday 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: 3.5 percent
• Trend: Down by 0.54 percentage points
• Comments: The positivity rate declined for the fifth straight week. It was on a six-week hike before that. This is the lowest percent positivity since Oct. 27, 2020.
• Recent High: 7.47 percent on April 8
• Recent Low: 3.5 percent on May 16
• 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 43,450 coronavirus infections are the fifth most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 595 county residents.

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RELATED:

• Third Of Anne Arundel Fully Vaccinated; In-Person Events Targeted
• How To Get COVID-19 Vaccine In Anne Arundel County
• Masks No Longer Required For Most Anne Arundel Residents
• Masks In Maryland: 'No More Restrictions,' Governor Says
• Maryland Will Open Vaccination To Residents 12 And Older Starting Thursday

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.