This despite the availability of vaccines.
Frederick, Md (KM) Hospitalizations are on the rise locally due to COVID-19, according to Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner. “So today there are 39 patients in the hospital, and the number in intensive care also remains high with eight patients in the ICU which is not too far off where we saw the peak in January when there were 11 people in ICU,” she says.
During her public information briefing on Thursday, Gardner said those statistics are a concern. “People say it’s not a lot of patients. But the ICU is generally structured to have 18 beds. It’s obviously meant to accommodate the community so it’s not generally not full,” she said. “So when you end up adding eight or ten COVID patients, it does strain the ICU.”
Gardner says the hospitalizations went up in January, and then down, then up and then down again, and back up in April. “This is really a great concern to us because we don’t want people getting sick enough that they have to be hospitalized,” she said.
With the virus still with us, the County Executive reminded residents need to continue wearing face coverings at all indoor public spaces, and outdoor spaces where people cannot maintain a six-foot or more distance from each other. And get the vaccine when it’s your turn, she said.
During her briefing, Gardner announced that about 90,000 Frederick County residents have received at least the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, and 22% of the population have received their second vaccine.
The Health Department says it’s vaccination clinic at Frederick Community College is expected to receive an additional 5,000 doses next week. That’s due to its designation as a state-supported site.
Health Officer Dr. Barbara Brookmyer says the agency is working on mobile vaccination clinics which will travel to other parts of the county, including Brunswick, Emmitsburg, Myersville and Libertytown. The Health Department says it’s working to set up clinics with the Asian-American Center of Frederick, Love of Lochlin/I Believe in Me, Asbury United Methodist Church, Jackson Chapel and the International Community Church.
As of April 6th, all Marylanders 16 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine at mass vaccination centers around Maryland. On Monday, April 12trh, all providers will be able to administer the vaccine to those 16 and older. The Health Department says it has the Moderna vaccine, which is approved for those 18 and older. Individuals between 16 and 17 can only receive the Pfizer vaccine.
As of Thursday, there are 18,575 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Frederick County since the pandemic began. There have been 294 deaths so far. The positivity rate id 5.7%, which is the percentage of people testing positive for the coronavirus out of all of those tested within a seven-day period.
By Kevin McManus