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Allegany County’s COVID Positivity Rate at highest percentage rate since April 2020

January 5th, 2022 by WCBC Radio

As COVID cases continue to spike statewide, Allegany County’s positivity rate – the percentage of COVID tests which are confirmed positive for COVID-19 – has reached its highest point since April 2020.  As of January 4, Allegany County’s percent positive was 19.57%, and the average rate for Maryland was 28.56%, rivaling figures seen in the early months of the pandemic.  The county’s case rate has also risen dramatically, jumping from 40.55 cases per 100,000 people to 135.71 cases per 100,000 on Tuesday.

Allegany County continues to lag behind most of the state in COVID-19 vaccination rates.  Currently, only 49.1% of Allegany County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID, compared to 70.7% of Marylanders.

UPCOMING VACCINE CLINICS:

January 12:  Allegany County Fairgrounds, 11400 Moss Avenue, Cumberland, MD

  • Moderna Booster Clinic (ages 18+) by appointment only.   Register online at https://www.marylandvax.org/appointment/en/reg/0921564101.
  • First and second doses of Moderna (ages 18+), first and second doses of Pfizer (ages 12+), and booster doses of Pfizer (ages 16+) are available on a walk-in basis.  No appointment is necessary.

 

For assistance registering for an appointment, county residents can call the COVID-19 call center at 240-650-3999. COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are also widely available in the community at local pharmacies, urgent care clinics, and some primary care providers. 

The Allegany County Health Department also reported that there is currently a very high demand for testing at the free drive-thru clinic at the Allegany County Fairgrounds, with recent clinics seeing several hundred people.  Periods of high demand can result in lengthy wait times, and individuals seeking testing should expect long lines.  The testing clinic is open on Mondays from 2 to 7 p.m. and Wednesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Please note that the health department does NOT offer COVID-19 testing at its Willowbrook Office Complex facilities.

Allegany County COVID-19 case rate and positivity as of January 2:

  • New COVID Cases (since December 29): 135 (cumulative total 12,331)
  • Additional Deaths (since December 29): 2 (cumulative total 296)
  • Cases Per 100,000 Population: 135.71 (Maryland: 212.32)
  • Positivity Rate: 19.57% (Maryland: 28.56%)