COVID-19 In Maryland: Over 200 In ICU Beds, 21 Deaths In Last 24 Hours

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland reported 701 new COVID-19 cases and 21 deaths, according to state health department data released Wednesday morning.

The percentage of people testing positive increased by 0.03, currently sitting at 4.68%.

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 3.7 million Maryland adults are fully vaccinated.

Hospitalizations remained at 817. Of those hospitalized, 606 remain in acute care and 211 remain in the ICU.

Since the pandemic began, there were 505,557 total confirmed cases and 9,891 deaths.

There are 3,771,972 Marylanders fully vaccinated. The state has administered 7,623,715 doses. Of those, 3,851,743 are first doses with 2,987 administered in the past 24 hours. They have given out 3,481,808 second doses, 3,908 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 290,164 Marylanders have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 252 in the last day.

The state reported 81.5% 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 11,454 total cases among fully vaccinated Marylanders as of last Wednesday, September 1.

Of those cases, 883 vaccinated Marylanders were hospitalized, representing 6.5% of all Covid cases hospitalized in the state. 82 fully vaccinated Marylanders have died, representing 5.3% 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
• Anne Arundel County