COVID-19 In Maryland: Over 1,200 New Cases Reported As Key Metrics Rise

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland reported 1,272 new COVID-19 cases and 16 new deaths, according to state health department data released Thursday morning.

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.

Hogan also said less than 0.01% of vaccinated Marylanders have been hospitalized with COVID-19, and less than 0.001% of vaccinated Marylanders have died from the virus.

"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.

"Equally as important as getting a vaccine yourself is helping someone you know to get a vaccine. The vaccines are very safe, they are very effective, they are completely free, and they are widely available nearly everywhere."

More than 3.7 million Maryland adults are fully vaccinated. State officials also reported that the state positivity decreased by 0.05 to 4.94%.

Hospitalizations increased by 4 to 778. Of those hospitalized, 595 remain in acute care and 179 remain in the ICU.

Since the pandemic began, there were 499,648 total confirmed cases and 9,817 deaths.

There are 3,740,778 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 7,567,750 doses. Of those, 3,826,972 are first doses with 6,470 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,453,674 second doses, 7,041 in the last day.

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 287,104 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 888 in the last day.

The state reported 81% 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 9,079 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of last Wednesday, August 25.

Of those cases, 733 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 5.6% of all Covid cases hospitalized in the state. 76 fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 5% of lab-confirmed Covid deaths in the state.

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: 

• Coronavirus Resources: How To Get Help In Maryland
• TIMELINE: Coronavirus In Maryland, Tracking The Spread And Vaccinations
• Latest coronavirus stories from WJZ
• Latest CDC Guidelines

Here's a breakdown of the numbers:

By County

By Age Range and Gender

By Race and Ethnicity

In:
• Maryland
• COVID-19