Vaccine Update: 10 Percent Of Anne Arundel Has Gotten The Shot

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Anne Arundel County's coronavirus situation continues to improve. Every metric is on the mend, and the vaccine rollout hit a few milestones last week.

More than 10 percent of the county has gotten the first dose of the shot. Teacher immunization clinics also opened up last week, as Anne Arundel County Public Schools prepares to gradually start hybrid classes over the next month.

In other vaccination news, the county canceled several appointments on Feb. 8, citing their limited supply. Officials pleaded for more inoculations from the state, but Maryland leaders said they're doing the best they can.

Despite declining numbers, Anne Arundel still isn't in the clear. County Executive Steuart Pittman announced Feb. 9 that he was in quarantine after a coronavirus exposure. Pittman tested negative then held a somber memorial last Thursday to remember the victims of the pandemic.

Last week's 734 infections are down 133 from the week prior. It was the second straight week that Anne Arundel recorded less than 1,000 new cases, a feat that hadn't been accomplished in about three months.

The virus also killed 18 county residents last week, which is three 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: 10.07 percent
• Trend: Up by 2.04 percentage points

The state tallies the number of Marylanders who have gotten the immunization on this website. So far, 58,327 Anne Arundel County residents have received their first shot. That's up 11,816 from last week, and it's 10.07 percent of the population.

Anne Arundel County now has the fifth-lowest vaccination rate in the state. That's a two-spot improvement from last week. Kent County leads the way with 19.98 percent immunization.

The second dose has reached 24,820 locals. That's 8,463 more than a week ago, and it's 4.29 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: 16.4
• Trend: Down by 4.98

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 above its summertime high, but it has fallen to 16.4. That's down by 4.98 from this time last week, and it's the lowest since Nov. 5, 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: 87
• Trend: Down by 12

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations are starting to fall, but they are still above their summertime lows. The disease left 87 Anne Arundel County residents hospitalized on Monday. That's down 12 from the week prior, and it's the lowest since Nov. 23, 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: 14
• Trend: Down by 5

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 Monday, Anne Arundel had 14 patients in the ICU with the virus. That's down by five from this time last week, and it's the lowest since Nov. 21, 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: 5.62 percent
• Trend: Down by 0.6 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 5.62 percent on Monday. That's down by 0.6 percentage points from this time last week, and it's the lowest since Nov. 29, 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 34,645 coronavirus infections are the fifth most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 497 county residents.

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