Vaccine Reaches Nearly Half Of Prince George's; New Record Set

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD — Around 36 percent of Prince George's County residents are fully inoculated. About 44 percent have gotten at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Leaders are still pushing the immunizations. Gov. Larry Hogan partnered with Ledo Pizza to offer free meals for inoculated Marylanders.

The vaccines have helped slow infections around the county. Prince George's now has its lowest positivity rate ever.

This progress helped the Maryland State House reopen without requiring masks. The Bowie Farmers Market also resumed. Business is similarly returning to the National Harbor, where several employers hosted a virtual job fair. Plus, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport saw its highest daily passenger total since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Despite the progress, the virus is not yet eradicated. The county is approaching 85,000 total cases and 1,500 cumulative deaths.

Improving Metrics

In other news, the coronavirus case rate is at its best clip in nearly 14 months. The percent positivity has dipped to its lowest mark ever. And the hospitalization count has fallen to its September 2020 level.

Last week's 353 infections are down 195 from the week prior. This is the first time the county recorded less than 500 weekly cases since April 2020. This was also the fourth straight week that Prince George's posted less than 1,000 new infections. Before this stretch, the county hadn't accomplished the feat since late last October.

The virus also killed eight county residents last week, which is one 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: 35.75 percent
• Trend: Up by 2.85 percentage points
• Rank: 18th out of the state's 24 jurisdictions
• Trend: Improved by one slot
• Comments: New immunizations slowed for the second straight week and fell short of the record high, set two weeks ago. Prince George's had the lowest inoculation rate in Maryland until April 26.

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: 44.26 percent
• Trend: Up by 2.14 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: 5.55
• Trend: Down by 3.06
• Comments: New cases fell for the sixth straight week. Before that, infections were on a four-week hike. This is the lowest clip since April 1, 2020.
• Recent High: 21.43 on April 14
• Recent Low: 8.42 on May 14
• Overall High: 58.83 on Jan. 14
• Overall Low: 0.5 on March 23, 2020

Hospitalizations

• Currently: 54
• Trend: Down by 23
• Comments: Hospitalizations declined for the fifth straight week. The count has dropped by 104 in this span. This is the lowest total since the week of Sept. 27, 2020.
• Recent High: 158 in the week of April 11
• Recent Low: 54 in the week of May 16
• Overall High: 244 in the week of May 3, 2020
• Overall Low: 44 in the week of Sept. 20, 2020

ICU Hospitalizations

• Currently: 23
• Trend: Down by 8
• Comments: Intensive Care Unit hospitalizations declined for the fifth straight week. This is the lowest total since the week of Nov. 1, 2020.
• Recent High: 56 in the week of April 11
• Recent Low: 23 in the week of May 16
• Overall High: 75 in the week of Dec. 27, 2020
• Overall Low: 11 in the week of Aug. 2, 2020

Positivity Rate

• Currently: 2.09 percent
• Trend: Down by 1.18 percentage points
• Comments: The positivity rate fell for the sixth straight week. This is the county's lowest percent positivity ever.
• Recent High: 6.32 percent on April 14
• Recent Low: 2.09 percent on May 23
• Overall High: 41.95 percent on May 2, 2020
• Overall Low: 2.09 percent on May 23

Total Cases And Deaths

Prince George's County's 84,813 coronavirus infections are the most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 1,464 county residents.

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RELATED:

• Vaccine Benchmark Nears; Prince George's Expands Eligibility
• How To Get COVID-19 Vaccine In Prince George's County
• BWI Opens Upgraded Concourse; Passenger Traffic Hits Record High
• Bowie Farmers Market Reopens; Vendors Sell Craft Products
• State House Will Reopen To Visitors, Masks Won't Be Required
• National Harbor Will Host Job Fair, Offer Plenty Of Positions
• Free Ledo Pizza Offered To Vaccinated Marylanders

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.