Vaccine Reaches 19 Percent Of Prince George's As Cases Fall

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Prince George's County set another seven-day inoculation record last week. About 19 percent of county residents are fully immunized. Around 32 percent have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

This came as Prince George's 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.

The state mainly uses the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna inoculations, so this won't derail the rollout, but the pace may diminish slightly. Gov. Larry Hogan hopes to restore full capacity next month.

Still, the county expanded immunization eligibility at its clinics last Monday. Residents 16 and up can now get the shot.

The vaccine has started to become more accessible around Prince George's, though the county still has the lowest inoculation rate in the state. Leaders have cheered the Greenbelt mass vaccination site for improving health equity through its location at a Metro stop.

“Our vaccination efforts have ramped up significantly over the past few months, helping us significantly increase the number of Prince Georgians who have been able to receive this life-saving vaccine,” Prince George's County Executive Alsobrooks said last Thursday in a press release. “I want to continue to encourage every Prince Georgian to sign up to get vaccinated so you can protect yourself and your loved ones, and so we can finally put this pandemic behind us.”

Cases decreased for the first time in five weeks. The positivity rate also fell a smidge. Hospitalizations didn't change, and Intensive Care Unit hospitalizations rose slightly.

Last week's 1,154 infections down 126 from the week prior. The virus also killed 17 county residents last week, which is three more 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: 19.12 percent
• Trend: Up by 3.62 percentage points
• Rank: 24th out of the state's 24 jurisdictions
• Trend: No change
• Comments: This was the most Prince George's County residents that have ever been vaccinated in a single week.

All Marylanders 16 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: 32.43 percent
• Trend: Up by 4.31 percentage points
• Comments: This is the largest single-week jump since the vaccine rollout began.

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: 18.13
• Trend: Down by 1.98
• Comments: New infections fell for the first time in five weeks. The case rate has decreased every day since it reached 21.43 last Wednesday. That was the highest since Feb. 13.
• Recent High: 58.83 on Jan. 14
• Recent Low: 15.24 on March 15
• Overall High: 58.83 on Jan. 14
• Overall Low: 7.57 on July 2, 2020

Hospitalizations

• Currently: 158
• Trend: No change
• Comments: That is the highest total since the week of Feb. 7. Hospitalizations have not fallen since the week of March 7. This span has brought an additional 57 hospitalizations.
• Recent High: 217 in the week of Dec. 27
• Recent Low: 101 in the week of March 7
• Overall High: 244 in the week of May 3, 2020
• Overall Low: 44 in the week of Sept. 20, 2020

ICU Hospitalizations

• Currently: 56
• Trend: Up by 6
• Comments: Intensive Care Unit hospitalizations declined two weeks ago, but they increased again last week. This continued their rather steady upward trend since the week of Feb. 28.
• Recent High: 75 in the week of Dec. 27, 2020
• Recent Low: 41 in the week of Feb. 28
• Overall High: 75 in the week of Dec. 27, 2020
• Overall Low: 11 in the week of Aug. 2, 2020

Positivity Rate

• Currently: 5.84 percent
• Trend: Down by 0.09 percentage points
• Comments: The positivity rate fell a smidge. The rate was even higher on Wednesday when it reached 6.32 percent. That was the highest since Feb. 14. The percent positivity has been on a fairly continuous hike since early March. It is starting to plateau, however.
• Recent High: 11.92 percent on Jan. 3
• Recent Low: 4.24 percent on March 4
• Overall High: 41.95 percent on May 2, 2020
• Overall Low: 3.46 percent on Sept. 24, 2020

Total Cases And Deaths

Prince George's County's 81,382 coronavirus infections are the most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 1,396 county residents.

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RELATED:

• County Has Best Vaccine Week Yet, But Shots Will Slow Down Soon
• How To Get COVID-19 Vaccine In Prince George's County
• Prince George's Expands Vaccine Eligibility, Pauses J&J Shots
• Hogan Hopes Greenbelt Mass Vaccination Site Bolsters Equity
• Marylanders Oppose Vaccine Passports, Worry About Privacy: Survey

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.