Washington County's COVID cases up 11.9%; Maryland cases fall 4.3%

Mike Stucka
·4 min read

Washington County reported 452 new cases of COVID-19 and three related deaths in the week ending Sunday. That represented an 11.9% increase in new cases compared to a week earlier, when the county reported 404 cases and two deaths.

During the pandemic, Washington County has reported a total of 21,415 cases and 423 deaths.

Maryland reported 6,118 new cases of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday, down 4.3% from the previous week. Then, 6,394 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19 were reported.

Maryland ranked 34th among the states where the virus that causes COVID-19 was spreading the fastest on a per-person basis, a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the latest week, coronavirus cases in the United States decreased 24.9% from the week before, with 490,656 cases reported. With 1.82% of the country's population, Maryland had 1.25% of the country's cases in the last week. Across the country, three states had more cases in the latest week than they did in the week before.

Thanksgiving significantly disrupted who got tested, how many people got tested, what labs operated and what government agencies reported on time. Some governments reported only three days of data for the last week; some reported none. Before Thanksgiving, several dozen dozen states were reporting rising case counts; in the week ending Sunday, fewer states reported rising cases. The United States had been reporting nearly 700,000 new cases per week; in the week ending Sunday, that number was less than 500,000.

Among counties in the Tri-State area, Franklin County, Pa., reported 482 new cases and nine deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it reported 475 cases and six deaths. During the pandemic, it has reported 23,844 cases and 491 deaths.

Fulton County, Pa., reported 66 new cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, the county reported 86 cases and four deaths. It has reported 2,609 cases and 38 deaths during the pandemic.

Berkeley County, W.Va., reported 122 cases and three deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, it reported 420 cases and one death. During the pandemic, it reported 19,937 cases and 193 deaths.

Jefferson County, W.Va., reported 68 cases and one death in the latest week. A week earlier, it reported 159 cases and zero deaths. During the pandemic, the county has reported 7,292 cases and 90 deaths.

Morgan County, W.Va., reported 23 cases and zero deaths in the latest week. A week earlier, the county reported 67 cases and one death. It has reported 2,293 cases and 48 deaths during the pandemic.

Across Maryland, cases fell in 14 counties, with the best decline in Anne Arundel County, with 524 cases from 644 a week earlier.

>> See how your community has fared with recent coronavirus cases

Maryland ranked 13th among states in share of people receiving at least one shot, with 74.2% of its residents at least partially vaccinated. The national rate is 68.8%, a USA TODAY analysis of CDC data shows. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are the most used in the United States, require two doses administered a few weeks apart.

In the week ending Thursday, Maryland reported administering another 220,247 vaccine doses, including 40,224 first doses. In the previous week, the state administered 176,339 vaccine doses, including 29,255 first doses. In all, Maryland reported it has administered 9,046,525 total doses.

Within Maryland, the worst weekly COVID-19 numbers on a per-person basis were in Western Maryland — Garrett County with 383 cases per 100,000 per week; Allegany County with 305; and Washington County with 299. The Centers for Disease Control says high levels of community transmission begin at 100 cases per 100,000 per week.

Adding the most new cases overall were Baltimore County, with 816 cases; Montgomery County, with 738 cases; and Baltimore, with 577. Weekly case counts rose in nine counties from the previous week. The worst increases from the prior week's pace were in Washington, Frederick and Harford counties.

In Maryland, 65 people were reported dead of COVID-19 in the week ending Sunday. In the week before that, 60 people were reported dead.

A total of 584,137 people in Maryland have tested positive for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 since the pandemic began, and 11,186 people have died from the disease, Johns Hopkins University data shows. In the United States, 48,229,210 people have tested positive and 776,639 people have died.

>> Track coronavirus cases across the United States

Maryland's COVID-19 hospital admissions staying flat

USA TODAY analyzed federal hospital data as of Sunday, Nov. 28.

Likely COVID-19 patients admitted in Maryland:

  • Last week: 1,664

  • The week before that: 1,632

  • Four weeks ago: 1,756

Likely COVID-19 patients admitted in the nation:

  • Last week: 76,702

  • The week before that: 75,061

  • Four weeks ago: 69,423

Hospitals in 25 states reported more COVID-19 patients than a week earlier, while hospitals in 25 states had more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care beds. Hospitals in 27 states admitted more COVID-19 patients in the latest week than a week prior, the USA TODAY analysis of U.S. Health and Human Services data shows.

The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Johns Hopkins University and the Centers for Disease Control. If you have questions about the data or the story, contact Mike Stucka at mstucka@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County reported 452 new COVID cases in the latest week