BALTIMORE – Maryland health officials reported 1,985 new coronavirus cases and 28 more deaths linked to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, on the final Monday of the year.
The state has seen record numbers of new cases this month and experts are bracing for a possible spike following the holidays. But officials are buoyed by the recent debut of COVID-19 vaccinations. Another 994 people in Maryland have been vaccinated in the past 24 hours, officials said.
Officials hope the vaccine will help lower persistently high hospitalization rates this month. No fewer than 1,500 COVID-19 patients have been in the hospital on any day in December, and the number of hospitalizations increased for the third straight day to 1,738, according to state officials.
A total of 5,573 people have died from COVID-19 in Maryland since March, and at least 269,183 have been infected, according to the state.
In the first phase of Maryland’s vaccine distribution, nearly 20,000 front-line health care workers, first responders and long-term facility residents and staff have received their first dose.
The state has acquired nearly 200,000 doses of the vaccine from pharmaceutical companies Moderna and Pfizer. Nursing homes and assisted-living facilities will receive doses through a federal pharmacy partnership with CVS and Walgreens.
The state’s 7-day positivity rate has reached 7.42%, according to the Maryland health department. The rate, which surpassed 8% earlier this month, has not dipped below 7% since Nov. 29.
