Hospitalizations rise in county

As unvaccinated people get out more, exposure opportunities increase

After two months of declining hospitalizations, Anne Arundel hospitals have seen an overall uptick in patients with COVID-19 over the last 16 days.

Health experts say coronavirus infections, which have killed 545 county residents since last March and hospitalized thousands, are likely to peter out or have less severe effects by the summer when everyone 16 and older will be eligible for a coronavirus vaccine and federal officials indicated supply will meet demand.

But as more county and state residents visit retail stores, restaurants and other public places, there are more opportunities for the virus to circulate and for unvaccinated people to come in contact with the novel coronavirus or one of its faster spreading variants.

Both Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis and Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie recorded an increase in hospitalizations for COVID-19 infections over the last three weeks, according to data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The patients are younger, too, more likely to be in their 50s or 60s as those in their 70s or 80s receive vaccinations.

After a lull in the summer, cases requiring hospitalization climbed dramatically from 24 on Sept. 28 to 168 on Jan. 8 at the peak of the winter surge. Hospitalizations then fell for exactly two months, hitting a low of 39 on March 8 before starting the two-week climb.

The county reported 67 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Wednesday. Sixteen needed intensive care.

Data from the county Department of Health shows the current seven-day average for ICU hospital beds in use is 70.9%. The seven-day average for acute beds in use is about 80.8%. The data reflects hospital occupancy for Luminis AAMC and the University of Maryland BWMC, but it is a moving metric, as the hospitals can add or reduce capacity as needed.

The Anne Arundel County Health Department vaccinated nearly 4,000 people over the last 24 hours as COVID-19 vaccine production ramps up nationwide.

The added inoculations mean nearly a quarter of Anne Arundel County residents have received one shot, and 13.5% are fully vaccinated. There are 214,589 residents total who received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.

Statewide, more than 816,000 people are fully vaccinated. The state has administered roughly 85% of the vaccines on hand and plans to open six more mass vaccination sites within the next month.

The county is now vaccinating people in Phase 2A, which includes everyone age 60 or older. Phase 2B will begin Tuesday and includes Maryland residents age 16 or older with an underlying health condition that makes COVID-19 infection riskier. Phase 2C, which includes everyone 55 and older as well as essential workers, will begin on April 13.

Everyone not covered in a previous category will be eligible for the vaccine on April 27.

New cases

Anne Arundel County reported 132 new coronavirus cases and one new death Wednesday. Maryland reported 1,173 new cases and 19 new deaths.

The county case rate rose to 20.9 cases per 100,000 people from 19.8 the day prior.

The total number of confirmed infections since March is now 38,011, and at least 545 Anne Arundel County residents have died. Fourteen others are suspected of having died of the virus but were never tested.

Across the state, at least 402,600 infections have been recorded since March 2020, and at least 8,029 Marylanders have died of the virus.

About 6.34% of tests for the virus in Anne Arundel County came back positive. The statewide positivity rate reported Wednesday is 4.59%.

The state reported 915 Maryland residents are hospitalized with COVID-19. About 691 of those patients require acute care beds, and another 224 are receiving more serious care.

In Anne Arundel County, hospitalizations are up. The county reported 67 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 on Thursday. Sixteen 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 70.9%. The seven-day average for acute beds in use is about 80.8%. The data reflects hospital occupancy for Anne Arundel Medical Center and the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, but it is a moving metric, as the hospitals can add or reduce capacity as needed.