Havre de Grace Has 3.7 Percent Of HarCo's Total Coronavirus Cases

Elizabeth Janney
·4 min read

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — In Havre de Grace, 37 people have tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the Harford County Health Department. Those in the 21078 ZIP code account for about 3.7 percent of the cases overall in Harford County.

In Harford County, 990 cases of the virus have been confirmed, state health officials reported as of Thursday, June 11.

A total of 54 people in Harford County have died from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, state health officials said Thursday; another three people are believed to have died from the virus but test results are pending.

The positivity rate in Harford County is 3.11 percent as of Thursday, significantly lower than the statewide positivity rate of 7.25 percent.

"It suggests the spread of COVID in our county is relatively low," Harford County Health Officer Russell Moy said this week. "It shows we're testing enough of our population to make informed decisions about reopening."

Courtesy of Maryland Department of Health.
Courtesy of Maryland Department of Health.

Even so, Moy said 4.9 percent of Harford County's population had been tested for the virus, which could be higher.

"Hopefully, we can get that up, because the state's average is 6.3 percent," he reported Tuesday. "With a little bit more testing, we'll do even better."

Here is the current list of coronavirus testing sites in Maryland.

Harford County has the lowest number of coronavirus cases and COVID deaths per capita in Maryland, Moy said Tuesday at the County Council meeting.

Havre de Grace is one of 16 ZIP codes in Harford County with fewer than 50 cases of the virus.

Here's the breakdown of Harford County coronavirus cases by ZIP code from the Harford County Health Department:

Courtesy of Harford County Health Department.
Courtesy of Harford County Health Department.


'Reopening: Make Commonsense Choices'

"We're hopeful that the reopening plans will continue," Moy said. The virus is still with us, he added, and scientists are still learning about it.

"It would be my recommendation people need to make commonsense choices based on what the science is telling us at this time and based on our own risk tolerance," Moy said Tuesday, one day before Gov. Larry Hogan announced more reopening measures, such as allowing indoor dining starting at 5 p.m. Friday.

Moy said people had to weigh their age, health status, life circumstances and general level of risk tolerance when making decisions.

"This is a difficult, challenging time," Moy said. "With things changing so quickly, it's challenging."

Avoid the three "C"s, Moy said:

  • Contact: To minimize contact, he said people should wear masks if they are within 6 feet of another person for at least 15 minutes. He cited research that said three interventions can reduce the spread: eye protection, face masks and physical distancing of 6 feet.

  • Confined spaces: Avoid public transportation like buses or indoor workplaces, he said, to stay out of confined spaces. If inside, a flow of fresh air can help reduce the virus from being transmitted, Moy said.

  • Crowds: "Large groups are risky no matter where they are gathered," Moy said, even if they are outside. "There's more potential for one ... to have a COVID-19 virus and be spreading it," Moy said. "COVID-19 is known to be transmitted through 'superspreader' events. One person with a certain type of metabolism, certain type of immune system can easily infect a hundred people at a single event. So the thing you really want to avoid is being involved with that kind of a massive outbreak because that can result in a lot of hospitalizations and possibly deaths."

Symptoms

Most people with the virus will experience mild symptoms and can recover at home, health experts say.

People should call 911 and seek immediate medical attention if they have trouble breathing, bluish lips or face, new confusion or inability to arouse and/or persistent pain or pressure in the chest.

There is currently no treatment and no vaccine for COVID-19.

For more about the virus, see the Maryland Department of Health's coronavirus page and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coronavirus page.

Visit the Harford County COVID-19 page for local resources.

See Also:

Map courtesy of Harford County Health Department.
Map courtesy of Harford County Health Department.

This article originally appeared on the Havre de Grace Patch