County has vaccinated nearly a quarter of its population against virus

Greg Swatek, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·2 min read

Apr. 12—Nearly a quarter of Frederick County's population has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, as anyone 16 or older in Maryland became eligible to receive a shot Monday from any vaccine provider.

According to the Frederick County Health Department, more than 87,000 county residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, accounting for roughly 33 percent of the population. More than 53,000 have received their second dose, accounting for about 20 percent of the population, while more than 11,000 have received the single-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, accounting for roughly 4 percent of the population.

The 64,659 county residents that have been fully vaccinated so far comprise 24.9 percent of the population.

Across Maryland, more than 3.4 million doses of vaccine have been administered after the state registered a single-day record for shots into arms (94,773) on Saturday. The state is averaging more than than 66,000 shots per day, according to Gov. Larry Hogan.

Yet even as access to the vaccine increases, the number of new COVID-19 infections each day continues to alarm health officials.

The Maryland Department of Health reported 985 new cases statewide Monday. That includes 49 in Frederick County.

There were 15 COVID-related deaths in Maryland on Monday, though none of them occurred in Frederick County. The death toll across the state rose to 8,284, while it remained at 296 in the county.

The seven-day rolling positivity rate in both the county and the state were nearly identical after both ticked up slightly Monday. The positivity rate in the county was 5.63 percent, while it was 5.6 percent across the state.

At Frederick Health Hospital, there were 40 coronavirus patients being treated as of Sunday, including 10 in the 19-bed intensive-care unit. The number of COVID patients in the hospital dipped by four from the previous day, while the number of patients in the ICU increased by one.

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