Infection rate hits record high in county
Health Dept. logs nearly 50 cases per 100,000 residents
Anne Arundel County reported Monday morning its highest rate of coronavirus infections since the pandemic began, overtaking all but one of the largest counties in Maryland.
The county Health Department measured nearly 50 cases per 100,000 residents thisweekend, the zenith so far of an upward trend that began in mid- December and continued after Christmas. The spike is just the latest in a series of surges pushing up case numbers since the fall.
Case numbers began to climb in early November, an anticipated but troubling pattern headed into the winter months. Reported infections faltered as fewer residents went for testing over Thanksgiving but soon surpassed previous heights. Infections again fell in the early days of December, but quickly rebounded and have now reached a new record.
The case rate is a metric of infections per 100,000 people, averaged over seven days, to judge how quickly and widely the virus is spreading in the county. At 49.2 infections reported Sunday, Anne Arundel County surpassed Prince George’s County and falls behind only Frederick County among the eight most populous Maryland jurisdictions.
The percentage of positive cases per tests conducted is rising as well. Of the test results reported on New Year’s Day, 10.91% were positive. This too marks a steady increase in the positivity rate since a few days before Christmas.
While the testing volume has some impact on case rate, the county generally tests a steady percentage of the population in a given week. A rising positivity rate alongside a rising case rate indicates the spread isn’t just an indication of more testing, county health officer Dr. Nilesh Kalyanaraman said.
Simultaneously, vaccinations are progressing slowly.
Statewide, Maryland has administered at least 65,692 doses of one of the two approved coronavirus vaccines, roughly 19% of the more than 345,000 vaccines distributed to the state. More than 35,000 vaccinations took place in the greater Baltimore region, which includes Anne Arundel County.
Hospitalizations statewide continue to hover around1,750 with about1,333 of those cases using acute care beds and another 418 needing more serious care. In Anne Arundel County, hospitalizations continue rising. The county reported 159 patients hospitalized with COVID- 19 on Sunday. Thirty- four needed intensive care.
Data from the Anne Arundel County Department of Health shows the current seven- day average for ICU hospital beds in use is 81.5%. The seven- day average for Intensive Care Unit beds in use is about 79.9%. The data reflects hospital capacity for Anne Arundel Medical Center and the University of Maryland Baltimore WashingtonMedical Center.
Statewide, about 79% of inpatient beds are full, according to data from the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Patients with or suspected to have COVID- 19 occupy about 22% of those beds.
ThreeMaryland hospitals reported critical staffing shortagesMonday, according to
federal data, and three expected to have shortages in the next week. Fifty- five hospitals didn’t have critical shortages, nor did they expect to.
ZIP codes
Here is an alphabetical breakdown of the number of cases in each ZIP code in Anne Arundel County as of Monday. State numbers are in parentheses. ZIP codes that overlap more than one county are in italics.
The state numbers also account for cases at congregate living facilities in those ZIP codes, which the county numbers do not include.
■ Annapolis ( 21401): 1,445 ( 2012)
■ Annapolis ( 21403): 1,381 ( 1802)
■ Annapolis ( 21405): 19 ( 29)
■ Annapolis ( 21409): 529 ( 695)
■ Annapolis Junction ( 20701): 1 ( 19)
■ Arnold ( 21012): 559 ( 823)
■ Brooklyn ( 21225): 531 ( 1687)
■ BWI Airport ( 21240): 0 ( N/ A)
■ Churchton ( 20733): 49 ( 71)
■ Crofton ( 21114): 678 ( 948)
■ Crownsville ( 21032): 226 ( 392)
■ Curtis Bay ( 21226): 129 ( 313)
■ Davidsonville ( 21035): 188 ( 279)
■ Deale ( 20751): 58 ( 71)
■ Dunkirk ( 20754): 14 ( 206)
■ Edgewater ( 21037): 578 ( 810)
■ Fort Meade ( 20755): ( 188)
■ Friendship ( 20758): 20 ( 27)
■ Galesville ( 20765): 14 ( 18)
■ Gambrills ( 21054): 349 ( 538)
■ Gibson Island ( 21056): 6 ( N/ A)
■ Glen Burnie ( 21060): 1,471 ( 1939)
■ Glen Burnie ( 21061): 2,362 ( 2868)
■ Hanover ( 21076): 676 ( 1010)
■ Harmans ( 21077): 14 ( 14)
■ Harwood ( 20776): 83( 103)
■ Jessup ( 20794): 127 ( 1334)
■ Laurel ( 20724): 951 ( 1120)
■ Linthicum Heights ( 21090): 352 ( 463)
■ Lothian ( 20711): 241 ( 294)
■ Millersville ( 21108): 582 ( 743)
■ Naval Academy ( 21402): ( 102)
■ North Beach ( 20714): 3 ( 114)
■ Odenton ( 21113): 1,011 ( 1286)
■ Owings ( 20736): 0 ( 237)
■ Pasadena ( 21122): 2,165 ( 2786)
■ Riva ( 21140): 66 ( 107)
■ Severn ( 21144): 1,301 ( 1579)
■ Severna Park ( 21146): 750 ( 1112)
■ Shady Side ( 20764): 79 ( 120)
■ Tracys Landing ( 20779): 20 ( 27)
■ West River ( 20778): 44 ( 54)