BALTIMORE —For the third time in less than a week, Maryland has reported a record high number of hospitalizations resulting from coronavirus infections.
Sunday, the state reported that 1,950 people were in Maryland hospitals being treated for COVID-19. The previous record — set on Friday — was 1,885. Officials said last week that a reporting change could start inflating the hospitalization numbers. About 25% of those hospitalized as of Sunday were receiving treatment in intensive care units, some 485 people.
Maryland also reported 3,310 new cases of the coronavirus Sunday, and 25 new deaths from the virus.
The additions come amid a troubling second surge of COVID-19. Sunday is the third day in a row that Maryland has reported more than 3,000 new cases of the virus. Before Sunday, Maryland had never reported three consecutive days with 3,000 or more new cases.
Over the past several days, the state has inched close to breaking a record set in December for the most coronavirus cases reported in a day — 3,792.
Sunday’s additions bring Maryland’s coronavirus case count to 303,364, and its death toll to 6,100.
The state’s seven-day average testing positivity rate was 8.73% Saturday, a far cry from the summertime and early fall, when the percentage held below 5% — the World Health Organization’s bench mark for beginning reopening procedures. It decreased from Friday’s rate of 9.16%.
Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, the state’s two most populous jurisdictions, reported the most new coronavirus cases Sunday. But they were followed by Anne Arundel County, which reported more new cases — 425 — than the more populous Baltimore City and Baltimore County, which reported 273 and 370 cases, respectively.
Sunday, the state reported administering 60,105 new COVID-19 tests in the 24 hours prior — more than any day since Dec. 11, when the state set a record with more than 65,000 tests administered.
The state also reported on Sunday administering 12,242 first doses of coronavirus vaccines, and 1,363 second doses — part of its push to provide health care workers and the elderly, among others, with early doses of two federally approved vaccines.
Sunday’s vaccination total was a slight increase from Saturday, when the state reported 12,211 people getting their first shots.
So far, 2.25% of Marylanders have received the first dose of a vaccine. About 0.1% of the state population has received both of the required doses.
As of Sunday, the Eastern Shore and Western Maryland — the less populous parts of the state — had vaccinated the greatest percentage of their residents, with 3.04% and 2.61%, respectively. The densely populated “National Capital Region,” which includes Charles, Frederick, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, continued to lag behind, having vaccinated 1.37% of its population. The populous Baltimore region, which includes Baltimore City and Baltimore County, plus Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties, fared better, having vaccinated 2.53% of its population.
During an appearance on CNN’s "State of the Union with Jake Tapper" Sunday morning, Hogan discussed a Biden administration plan to release nearly all available vaccine doses, rather than holding back vaccines for necessary second doses.
“Right now, we’re not getting them out fast enough into people’s arms,” Hogan said. “I just want to make sure we get as many out as fast as possible without endangering people by not having that second dose. So I think it’s a discussion we all have to have.”
