Vaccine Benchmark Nears; Prince George's Expands Eligibility

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Around 33 percent of Prince George's County residents are fully immunized. About 42 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. Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks did not follow suit. She kept the face covering requirement but lifted all capacity caps.

Improving Metrics

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

Last week's 548 infections are down 54 from the week prior. This was the third straight week that Prince George's posted less than 1,000 new cases. Before this stretch, the county hadn't accomplished the feat since late last October.

The virus also killed seven county residents last week, which is 16 fewer than the week before, the Maryland Department of Health said. Here's a look at where the numbers stand in Prince George's County.

Full Vaccinations

• Currently: 32.90 percent
• Trend: Up by 3.24 percentage points
• Rank: 19th out of the state's 24 jurisdictions
• Trend: No change
• Comments: New immunizations slowed slightly over the past seven days and fell short of the record high set the week before. As recently as April 26, the county had the lowest immunization rate in Maryland.

All Marylanders 12 and up are now eligible for the inoculation. For more information on Prince George'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: 42.12 percent
• Trend: Up by 1.86 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: 8.61
• Trend: Down by 0.85
• Comments: New cases fell for the fifth straight week. Before that, infections were on a four-week hike. The case rate was even lower on Friday when it fell to 8.42. That was the lowest clip since July 6, 2020.
• Recent High: 21.43 on April 14
• Recent Low: 8.42 on May 14
• Overall High: 58.83 on Jan. 14
• Overall Low: 7.57 on July 2, 2020

Hospitalizations

• Currently: 77
• Trend: Down by 24
• Comments: Hospitalizations declined for the fourth straight week. The count has dropped by 81 in that span. This is the lowest total since the week of Nov. 1, 2020.
• Recent High: 158 in the week of April 11
• Recent Low: 77 in the week of May 9
• Overall High: 244 in the week of May 3, 2020
• Overall Low: 44 in the week of Sept. 20, 2020

ICU Hospitalizations

• Currently: 31
• Trend: Down by 3
• Comments: Intensive Care Unit hospitalizations declined for the fourth straight week. This is the lowest total since the week of Nov. 8, 2020.
• Recent High: 56 in the week of April 11
• Recent Low: 31 in the week of May 9
• Overall High: 75 in the week of Dec. 27, 2020
• Overall Low: 11 in the week of Aug. 2, 2020

Positivity Rate

• Currently: 3.27 percent
• Trend: Down by 0.12 percentage points
• Comments: The positivity rate fell for the fifth straight week. The percent positivity was even lower on Wednesday when it dipped to 2.96 percent. That was the lowest the county has ever seen during the coronavirus pandemic.
• Recent High: 6.32 percent on April 14
• Recent Low: 2.96 percent on May 12
• Overall High: 41.95 percent on May 2, 2020
• Overall Low: 2.96 percent on May 12

Total Cases And Deaths

Prince George's County's 84,460 coronavirus infections are the most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 1,456 county residents.

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RELATED:

• New Vaccine Record, Best Positivity Rate Ever Posted In County
• How To Get COVID-19 Vaccine In Prince George's County
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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.

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. Download our mobile application from the App Store or Google Play.

RELATED:

• New Vaccine Record, Best Positivity Rate Ever Posted In County
• How To Get COVID-19 Vaccine In Prince George's County
• Prince George's Keeps Mask Mandate, Lifts Remaining Capacity Caps
• Local Celebrities Join Vaccine-A-Thon In Prince George's
• Bowie Baysox Start Season, Welcome Fans At Limited Capacity

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.