The number of new COVID-19 cases reported in Howard County and Carroll County rose over the past week (per my weekly tracking charts). Here is the data:
New COVID-19 cases in Howard County / weekly:
New COVID-19 cases in Carroll County / weekly:
New COVID-19 cases in Maryland / weekly:
Notes: Statewide the numbers stayed pretty consistent but there were real increases in Howard County and Carroll County over the past week. Howard County Health Department tweeted out this possible explanation for the recent rise in new cases:
There were some other concerning numbers in my latest tracking charts over the past week. The number of deaths due to COVID-19 was up slightly across the state and positivity rates for Maryland, Howard County and Carroll County were all up over the past week:
I am not saying this is a really bad sign…just something to watch in the coming weeks.
There was good news in the tracking charts this week as well…the number of beds in use due to COVID-19 continued to drop, the number of new people being hospitalized continued to fall and the number of vaccines administered continued to rise:
The best way to characterize the data over the past week is mixed: some bad but some good. The data next week might be more telling to see what trends continue.
If interested in the data be sure to check out my Google Tracking Spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1feQ7tUQyizlHbeqm-nYJuXVKDXb_vgZOmzJ829k8xqA/edit?usp=sharing
Scott E
