Vaccine Milestones Approach; Cases Still Falling In Anne Arundel

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, MD — Around 32 percent of Anne Arundel County residents are fully immunized. About 46 percent have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Johnson & Johnson Returns

After setting a seven-day inoculation record, the county saw a slight setback for the third straight week. This came as Anne Arundel paused all Johnson & Johnson shots after 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 begin Monday.

Maryland on Saturday opened appointments for direct scheduling at its mass vaccination sites. Anne Arundel made the switch earlier last month.

Improving Metrics, Easing Regulations

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

These improvements helped Anne Arundel County lift its restrictions on:

• Social gathering size
• Outside mask usage
• Outdoor dining

Last week's 559 cases are down 205 from the week prior. It was the 13th straight week that Anne Arundel recorded less than 1,000 new infections. Before that, the county had clocked more than 1,000 new cases per week for about three consecutive months.

The virus also killed seven county residents last week, which is four 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: 32.12 percent
• Trend: Up by 2.58 percentage points
• Rank: 10th out of the state's 24 jurisdictions
• Trend: Improved by two slots
• Comments: This is the third straight week that new immunizations declined compared to the seven days prior. The pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccines may have caused this drop. Maryland announced that it will resume these shots this week.

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: 45.74 percent
• Trend: Up by 2.82 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: 13.79
• Trend: Down by 5.05
• Comments: New cases declined for the third straight week. Before that, infections climbed for seven straight weeks. The case rate was even lower on Saturday when it dipped to 13.76. That was the lowest clip since Feb. 25.
• Recent High: 24.74 on April 14
• Recent Low: 13.47 on Feb. 25
• Overall High: 64.99 on Jan. 12
• Overall Low: 3.53 on June 26, 2020

Hospitalizations

• Currently: 60
• Trend: Down by 1
• Comments: Hospitalizations dropped for the third straight week. They have dipped by 26 in this span. The hospitalization total was even lower on Friday when it reached 57. That was the lowest mark since April 1.
• 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: 18
• Trend: No change
• Comments: The ICU hospitalization total is the same as last week. This ends a three-week rise. There were even more patients in the ICU on Wednesday when the total reached 24. That was the highest count since Feb. 1.
• 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: 5.07 percent
• Trend: Down by 0.66 percentage points
• Comments: The positivity rate declined for the third straight week. It was on a six-week hike before that. This is the lowest percent positivity since March 18.
• 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 42,709 coronavirus infections are the fifth most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 581 county residents.

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RELATED:

• Vaccines Rise, Cases Fall In Anne Arundel County
• How To Get COVID-19 Vaccine In Anne Arundel County
• MD Sees Biggest Drop Of COVID Cases, J&J Vaccine Usage Resumes
• Anne Arundel Ends Rules For Outdoor Dining, Wearing Masks Outside
• Social Gathering Restrictions Lifted In Anne Arundel

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.