Frederick no exception from omicron testing crunch; hospitalizations surge as local case, death data remains unavailable

Dec. 24—In the week leading up to Christmas, hospitalizations from COVID-19 were nearly as high as they've ever been in Frederick County. Numbers hit 70 on Tuesday, brushing up against last January's record of 72.

And if previous holidays have been any indication, cases of the virus will likely continue to climb in the weeks following Christmas, said Frederick County Health Department spokeswoman Rissah Watkins.

"I want everyone to enjoy the traditions, enjoy the festivities," she said. "Just think about how to make things safer for yourself, your friends and your family."

The best way to do that? Watkins noted her advice for county residents hasn't changed much over the past year.

People should avoid poorly ventilated spaces, wear masks in public indoor settings and get vaccinated. If you're sick or experiencing symptoms of the virus? Then, "please sit this one out," Watkins said. Do not host or attend gatherings.

She also suggested that people traveling after the holiday try to stay indoors and away from others in a kind of "home quarantine" if their schedule allows for it. And, Watkins added, those exposed to the virus should get tested.

They'll likely face a bit of a wait when they do so.

Testing clinics in Frederick County have not escaped the long lines seen across the state and country as the new, highly contagious omicron variant of the virus spreads rapidly. Sites run by the county's health department have experienced record high volumes of people seeking tests, Watkins said, which has slowed the pace of their delivery.

"It's frustrating for people waiting, and it's really hard for our staff, who have been doing this day in and day out for months and months," she said. "We understand everyone's frustration, and we do ask for patience, as we are going as fast as we can."

Frederick County residents have also joined the nationwide scramble to track down at-home COVID-19 test kits. Though public libraries in the county received more kits from the state health department on Monday to distribute for free, they were all gone in less than an hour, Watkins said. She said the county health department is ultimately hoping to receive even more kits from the state.

She added that she's heard of some people buying test kits to give as stocking stuffers and urged residents not to hoard them, considering how limited supplies are currently. Meanwhile, the county has sufficient supplies to continue offering PCR testing at health department clinics, Watkins said.

After weeks of a cyberattack-induced server outage at the Maryland health department, a statewide coronavirus case count finally came back online on Tuesday to reveal a surging positivity rate of 10 percent and thousands of new cases. Positivity levels have since shot up to 12.8 percent.

But it remains unclear the extent to which Frederick County's daily case count has increased — vital coronavirus surveillance statistics have yet to become available on a local level, and Watkins said there's still no word from the state about when this will happen.

Data on hospitalizations in the county and state have been available throughout the server outage, however, which has been enough to track a troubling surge of infections in Maryland. Numbers in the state surpassed 1,500 on Wednesday, triggering Gov. Larry Hogan — who recently tested positive for the virus himself — to direct Maryland hospitals to implement their pandemic plans. This will include optimizing bed capacity, altering staffing models and reducing non-urgent and elective surgical procedures, among other steps.

The vast majority of coronavirus patients hospitalized in the state and Frederick County are unvaccinated. As of Tuesday, the last day for which data is available from the county's largest health care system, only 11 of 71 COVID-19 inpatients at Frederick Health were vaccinated.

Meanwhile, the county's health department marked an anniversary on Wednesday: It's been a year since the agency administered its first shot of the vaccine, Watkins said.

The milestone brought up some mixed emotions among health department staffers, she said. There's pride in looking back at the seismic task they accomplished in administering thousands of shots at scores of community clinics and the county's mass vaccination sites. But it's also challenging to celebrate a second holiday season during a pandemic.

Still, Watkins says the county continues to see first-timers at vaccination clinics, though she can't say whether there's been a noticeable increase in their numbers in recent weeks. She also has a message to the persistent hold-outs:

"It is not too late," she said.

Follow Angela Roberts on Twitter: @24_angier