Maryland’s tally of coronavirus-related hospitalizations jumped over the past 24 hours as the highly contagious delta variant continues to ravage the state, even with the positivity rate dropping slightly.
The state reported 26 new hospitalizations Monday, bringing the current total to 705, according to health department statistics.
The positivity rate dipped to 4.85%, down .05% from Sunday. The number of new cases reported Monday was 942 — the first time in the past six days that the daily toll fell below 1,000.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said earlier this month nearly all of the new coronavirus cases are the result of the delta variant. The governor said less than 0.01% of vaccinated residents have been hospitalized with the coronavirus and less than 0.001% 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, Baltimore’s WJZ-TV reported.
As of Monday, Maryland has fully vaccinated roughly 81% — or about 3.7 million — of its residents 18 and older, according to state health department statistics.
