BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Maryland reported 1,259 new COVID-19 cases and 20 new deaths, according to state health department data released Saturday morning.
The percentage of people testing positive decreased by 0.08% to 3.7%.
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Doctors say the new cases are fueled by dangerous strains targeting the unvaccinated. During an August press conference, Gov. Larry Hogan said the Delta variant, a strain that is reportedly two to four times more contagious than the original virus strain, accounts for nearly every new confirmed case in Maryland.
“The vaccines are without a doubt our single most effective tool to mitigate the threat of COVID-19 and the surging Delta variant, and Maryland’s vaccination rate continues to outpace the nation,” Hogan said.
More than 3.9 million Maryland adults are fully vaccinated.
Hospitalizations dropped by eight to 783. Of those hospitalized, 592 remain in acute care and 191 are in the ICU.
Since the pandemic began, there were 542,886 total confirmed cases and 10,353 deaths.
There are 3,933,168 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 8,079,021 doses. Of those, 3,988,796 are first doses with 4,330 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,627,348 second doses, 3,632 in the last day.
“Thanks to the millions of people who have rolled up their sleeves, Maryland continues to be one of the most vaccinated states in America,” said Governor Hogan of the eight million milestone mark. “We have achieved these numbers with strong public health outreach, innovative lottery and scholarship promotions, and a relentless focus on equity.”
The state began to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine again in April after the CDC and FDA lifted their pause on the vaccine due to a rare blood clot found in some women.
A total of 305,820 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 252 in the last day.
On September 24, after the CDC granted final approval for Pfizer’s booster, Gov. Hogan announced the immediate authorization of the booster shot for Marylanders who have received their second Pfizer shot at least six months ago. Hogan had already approved use for vulnerable populations in early September.
The state has administered 157,057 additional or booster vaccine doses, 9,053 in the last day.
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The state reported 84.5% of all adults in Maryland have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
In August, the state launched a post-vaccination infections dashboard that is updated every Wednesday. There have been 18,243 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of last Wednesday, Sept. 22.
Of those cases, 1,331 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 8.73% of all Covid cases hospitalized in the state. One hundred fifty-six fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 8.36% of lab-confirmed Covid deaths in the state.
CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES:
Here’s a breakdown of the numbers:
By County
| County | Cases | Deaths | |
| Allegany | 9,300 | (236) | 2* |
| Anne Arundel | 51,458 | (731) | 15* |
| Baltimore | 74,809 | (1,753) | 42* |
| Baltimore City | 60,063 | (1,290) | 27* |
| Calvert | 5,413 | (98) | 1* |
| Caroline | 3,010 | (41) | 0* |
| Carroll | 11,371 | (277) | 7* |
| Cecil | 8,300 | (168) | 2* |
| Charles | 14,037 | (247) | 2* |
| Dorchester | 3,934 | (76) | 1* |
| Frederick | 23,462 | (358) | 10* |
| Garrett | 2,866 | (73) | 1* |
| Harford | 19,832 | (334) | 8* |
| Howard | 22,199 | (266) | 7* |
| Kent | 1,622 | (51) | 3* |
| Montgomery | 80,807 | (1,637) | 51* |
| Prince George’s | 97,743 | (1,646) | 43* |
| Queen Anne’s | 3,708 | (65) | 1* |
| St. Mary’s | 9,189 | (153) | 1* |
| Somerset | 3,204 | (48) | 0* |
| Talbot | 2,704 | (51) | 0* |
| Washington | 18,474 | (365) | 5* |
| Wicomico | 10,563 | (208) | 0* |
| Worcester | 4,818 | (113) | 1* |
| Data not available | 0 | (68) | 0* |
By Age Range and Gender
| Age/Gender | Cases | Deaths | |
| 0-9 | 36,620 | (4) | 0* |
| 10-19 | 59,544 | (7) | 1* |
| 20-29 | 98,027 | (52) | 1* |
| 30-39 | 93,115 | (135) | 7* |
| 40-49 | 79,291 | (342) | 5* |
| 50-59 | 77,961 | (945) | 34* |
| 60-69 | 52,184 | (1,785) | 28* |
| 70-79 | 28,670 | (2,608) | 47* |
| 80+ | 17,474 | (4,473) | 107* |
| Data not available | 0 | (2) | 0* |
| Female | 284,225 | (4,983) | 111* |
| Male | 258,661 | (5,370) | 119* |
| Unknown Gender | 0 | (0) | 0* |
By Race and Ethnicity
| Race/Ethnicity | Cases | Deaths | |
| African-American (NH) | 170,681 | (3,710) | 85* |
| Asian (NH) | 13,149 | (340) | 11* |
| White (NH) | 203,745 | (5,265) | 114* |
| Hispanic | 77,153 | (863) | 19* |
| Other (NH) | 25,029 | (113) | 1* |
| Data not available | 53,129 | (62) | 0* |
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