Although the daily number of new cases in Maryland remains less than a third of what the state recorded at the peak of the pandemic over the winter, new cases are inching up toward levels last seen in April.
State officials recorded 1,047 new cases on Thursday, the highest point since April 24 when there were 1,196 new cases reported. Thursday was also the first time in more than three months that daily new cases have been above 1,000, since Maryland saw 1,002 new cases on April 28.
Maryland’s daily cases dipped slightly but remained high on Friday with 950 newly confirmed cases.
As of Friday, Maryland has confirmed a total of 478,067 coronavirus cases to date, while 3,820,817 Marylanders have tested negative for the virus.
The state has recorded a total of 5,843 new cases over the past seven days, an increase of about 1.2%.
Maryland’s seven-day average COVID positivity rate surpassed 4% earlier this week and continued to rise to 4.46% on Friday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has advised all Americans, including those who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, to wear masks indoors in areas of the country with “substantial or high transmission” of coronavirus.
As of Friday, Carroll County is the only Maryland jurisdiction that is experiencing “moderate” levels of coronavirus transmission. The state’s remaining 23 jurisdictions have either substantial or high transmission levels.
There are 13 jurisdictions in Maryland with substantial levels of coronavirus transmission: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Garrett, Harford, Howard, Kent, Montgomery, Queen Anne’s, Talbot, and Washington counties and Baltimore City.
The state’s other 10 jurisdictions have high transmission levels: Allegany, Cecil, Charles, Dorchester, Frederick, Prince George’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s , Wicomico, and Worcester counties.
Several jurisdictions have reinstated mask orders to some degree, including Baltimore City, which this week began requiring indoor mask-wearing for all Baltimore residents and visitors, regardless of vaccination status.
There are currently 492 Marylanders hospitalized due to coronavirus, including 369 in acute care and 123 in intensive care.
A total of 9,657 Marylanders are confirmed to have died from COVID-19 to date, including 31 people whose coronavirus-related deaths were reported since last Friday.
There are also 221 Marylanders suspected to have died from COVID-19.
As of Friday, 79% of Marylanders age 18 or older, and about 65.9% of Marylanders of all ages who are eligible to be vaccinated, have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
Meanwhile, about 59.9% of the state’s population are fully vaccinated after receiving either a single-dose vaccine or their second dose of a two-dose vaccine.
A total of 3,622,257 Marylanders are fully vaccinated, including 32,192 residents who became fully vaccinated since last Friday, an increase of about 0.9%.
Baltimore residents can register for a vaccination appointment by visiting coronavirus.baltimorecity.gov or calling 443-984-8650.
Baltimoreans who are unable to leave their home can register to be vaccinated at their residence by calling 443-984-2273 or visiting covax.baltimorecity.gov.
Residents across Maryland can find a nearby vaccination clinic by visiting coronavirus.maryland.gov/pages/vaccine.
