ELLICOTT CITY – Today, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced that 80% of eligible Howard County residents are fully vaccinated according to the Maryland Department of Health, becoming the first county in the state to achieve this metric. Howard County remains at the forefront of vaccine administration with 67.8% of its total population being fully vaccinated.
I’m so proud of our community. This could not have been accomplished alone, and I want to thank our first responders, healthcare workers, volunteers, and State partners who have worked tirelessly on the front lines since December to get shots into arms. These metrics indicate what we all know – when times are tough, our community comes together to take care and support each other. With the recent uptick of COVID-19 cases and the spreading of the delta variant, it’s become abundantly clear how important it is to get vaccinated.
According to the Maryland Department of Health, 85% of Howard County residents 12+ have received at least one dose of a vaccine and 67.8% of the total population has received at least one dose of a vaccine. Howard County is the first County in the state to reach 85% and 65% in each respective category. The County’s 7-day average positivity rate is 2.07%, 7-day average case per 100,000 of the population is at 5.57, and a COVID utilization rate of 1.6% at Howard County General Hospital.
“Howard County residents have done an incredible job of protecting themselves, their families and the community by getting vaccinated. This is a great milestone to reach in our fight against the COVID-19 virus,” said Dr. Maura Rossman, Howard County Health Officer. “However, we know that there are more people who are eligible for the vaccine, but have yet to take that important next step to receive the vaccination. While our COVID metrics are still in an acceptable range, they are climbing as a result of the Delta variant’s community spread. It is more highly contagious and transmissible than the native virus, which means that the unvaccinated are at greater risk for hospitalization and death. We encourage those who have yet to be vaccinated to talk to their healthcare provider about the importance of vaccination. For vaccinated individuals, we hope you will share your vaccination experiences to inspire those who have yet to get the vaccine to do so.”
The Howard County Health Department (HCHD) has multiple COVID-19 vaccine clinics around the county. To find a HCHD clinic, please visit vaccine.howardcountymd.gov. Parents and guardians are encouraged and welcome to accompany their adolescents to clinics.