Sensitivity rate drops below 5%, hospitalizations just over 900 – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) – Maryland’s COVID-19 positive rate has fallen below 5% for the first time in nearly three months, according to data released Friday by the Maryland Department of Health.

The seven-day COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped to 4.88% in the last 24 hours, down 0.24% since Thursday. The last time the statewide positivity rate was this low was on November 28th when it was 4.75%.

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The statewide positivity rate peaked on January 7 when it flirted at 30%.

Even as that number and COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to fall, Governor Larry Hogan and state officials are encouraging Marylanders to stay healthy. As an incentive, The state is launching a $2 million lottery.

“While our key health indicators continue to tilt significantly, we are ramping up our efforts to get every Marylander we can to strengthen against COVID-19,” the governor said on Friday. “. “The goal of our $2 million VaxCash 2.0 Ads is to reach people who don’t realize the importance of boosting, who are on the fence, or who haven’t reached it yet. ”

Only to the same descending indices, The governor has called on the Maryland State Board of Education to rescind the policy of requiring masks in schools.

Under current policy, schools can lift the mask requirement if they meet certain “out of the way” requirements — if 80% of the county’s population is vaccinated, if 80% of students and staff school, or if the county’s transmission rate is “Low” or “moderate” for 14 consecutive days.

In a statement, the board said there was optimism about Maryland’s improving numbers but note that there are already “research-based shortcuts” available to school systems to lift mask missions.

“We look forward to the day this dark COVID cloud subsides. We will continue to listen and work with the State and local partners to continue this work,” said the partial board.

Maryland added 731 more cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases statewide to 968,648 since the pandemic began.

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With hospitalizations down 73, the number of COVID-19 patients in Maryland hospitals is 913. This is down 73% from last month’s peak of nearly 3,500.

The statewide death toll has increased by 10 in the past 24 hours, bringing the toll to 13,615 people who have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic.

Governor Hogan proclaimed Healthcare Heroes Appreciation Week this week and is asking Marylanders to express their gratitude for the tireless efforts of frontline healthcare workers throughout the pandemic.

Maryland has recently emerged from a A 30-day state of emergency issued by Hogan Responding to rising hospitalizations and infections has pushed many hospitals to capacity levels. Not yet Healthcare leaders say hospitals still face nursing shortages.

In the past few weeks, Hogan has also released executive orders to strengthen the workforce in nursing homes, hospitals, and emergency medical services.

Of those currently hospitalized with COVID-19 in Maryland, 728 are adults in acute care and 171 are adults in intensive care. State data shows 11 children are in acute care and another 3 are in the ICU.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 95% of Maryland’s adult population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 89.6% of Marylanders age 5 and older have received the vaccine.

There are 4,429,337 fully vaccinated Marylanders and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state has administered 11,185,889 million doses of the vaccine.

In which, 4,662,089 first dose, 2,173 doses in the last 24 hours. Another 4,096,160 is a second dose, 3,157 in the past day. A total of 333,177 Marylanders received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 58 in the past day.

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The state has managed 2,094,463 boosters, 5,431 in the last 24 hours.