From the Howard County Executive yesterday:
"As of 9:00 a.m. this morning and according to the Maryland Department of Health, Howard County’s positivity rate is 27.8% and our 7-day average case rate is 185. This is a record high and means that about 1 in 4 individuals who test are receiving a positive result. We have seen an increase of 4,121 cases of COVID-19 in the last week, which again is a major increase and is likely to continue increasing.
Howard County has high vaccination rates with 79% of our total population being fully vaccinated and 58% of residents 18+ have received a booster dose. However, with Omicron’s virility, leaves the unvaccinated at greater risk for hospitalization. Studies show that fully-vaccinated individuals are still at risk of being infected with the Omicron variant. However, vaccines and boosters are working by significantly reducing hospitalization and even death.
There are currently 44 COVID-19 patients in both the ICU and Acute Care units at Howard County General Hospital. Please remember that emergency rooms are for emergencies only. Seeking testing at an emergency room — without an urgent or emerging medical need — diverts critical, life-saving resources from people who are truly experiencing an emergency."
The situation at Howard County General Hospital can be found at this link. The data is more than 10 days old but during that period of time, Howard County General had had the greatest amount of unused hospital beds and ICU beds in the region for general hospitals. Not surprising given our higher vaccination rate. As usual the more conservative the county the more people in the hospital. When people value their personal freedom more than their health they and everyone that lives in their community pay a steep price.
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