Weekly Coronavirus Infections Reach All-Time High In Anne Arundel

ANNE ARUNDEL, COUNTY, MD — The coronavirus is spreading faster than ever in Maryland. Anne Arundel County tallied 1,083 infections over past seven days. That was the first time the county had more than 1,000 cases in a week.

Last Friday, Anne Arundel reported 197 new coronavirus infections. That broke its previous single-day high of 175, which it set a week before.

With cases surging, it's worth a look into the county's data trends. Follow along as Patch explains where Anne Arundel County started and where it is now.

Coronavirus Case Rate

Health officials focus on several metrics to evaluate the coronavirus pandemic. The most frequently-used are the case rate, hospitalizations and percent positivity.

The case rate is a per-capita measure that makes it easy to compare places with different populations. A jurisdiction's case rate is the average number of new coronavirus infections-per-day that it registers over a rolling week per 100,000 people.

As a barometer, Maryland health officials say expanded in-person classes are probably safe when the local case rate dips below 5. Anne Arundel County's case rate has spiked to 26.19. That's the county's highest mark since the pandemic started.

Anne Arundel's case rate hit previous highs of 13.4 on June 3 and 14.26 on Aug. 2. It reached a low of 3.53 on June 26, but it's been an upward climb since then.

Hospitalizations

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have also pointed upward. They are down from their April 21 high of 172, but hospitalizations have seen a sharp increase in recent weeks.

The disease left 72 people hospitalized in Anne Arundel County last Wednesday. That was the most since June 8. By Sunday, 60 residents were in the hospital.

The county had fewer than 50 hospitalizations between June 14 and Oct. 18. They hit an overall low of 21 on Sept. 21.

Covid ActNow, a coronavirus statistics website, estimates that Anne Arundel County has 50 beds in the intensive care unit. Hospitals need to save some of these beds for emergencies that aren't related to coronavirus.

On Sunday, Anne Arundel had 17 patients in the ICU with the virus. The county's 22 patients in the ICU on Nov. 7 were the most since June 12.

ICU hospitalizations maxed out at 49 on May 13 and receded to 4 by Aug. 24.

Positivity Rate

The county's positivity rate is also on the upswing. This is the percentage of coronavirus tests that come back positive over a moving seven days. The statistic also measures whether an area has enough tests to identify most of its infections.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says a positivity rate of less than 5 percent demonstrates that a region has enough testing to control its outbreak. The Maryland Department of Health says hybrid learning should be safe when jurisdictions fall beneath this benchmark.

Anne Arundel County's positivity rate has ascended to 6.01 percent. Saturday's 6.1 percent positivity was the highest since June 18.

That's down from its April 16 high of 28.16 percent, but it's up from its Aug. 16 low of 2.29 percent.

The county stayed beneath the 5 percent positivity threshold for 137 days. That streak, which started on June 22, came to an end on Nov. 7.

Total Cases And Deaths

Anne Arundel County's 14,307 coronavirus infections are the 5th most in the state. The virus is blamed for the death of 276 county residents.

RELATED:

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• AACPS Delays Hybrid Classes; Anne Arundel Coronavirus Cases Surge
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