Baltimore City and surrounding communities experience high transmission of COVID-19 in community – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) – Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Howard County, and Anne Arundel County are all areas with high community transmission of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New data indicate that there are 283 cases per 100,000 people in Baltimore over the past seven days, and the number of admissions per cases grew to 11.8 admissions per. 100,000 cases.

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Dr. Howard County Health Department Medical Director Kelly Russo recommends that you wear a mask indoors in public, stay up to date with vaccines, get tested if you have symptoms, and if you are at high risk for serious illness, consider additional precautions, and talk to your doctor.

Despite the higher transmission rate, she said Baltimore County is not reinstating a mesh mandate at this time.

“We have not talked about a mask mandate. You know we are a very different place now, ”Russo said. “Right now it’s what we see, yes, there are many cases, but the disease seems to be very mild. Fewer hospitalizations. Fewer deaths. We have widely available treatments now, which was not true before.”

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Russo also said another reason they are not considering a mask mandate is due to the high vaccination rate in the county. Data show that 83.6% of the county’s residents are currently vaccinated, according to the county’s COVID-19 dashboard.

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott says he will consult with the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Letitia Dzirasa and the city’s hospital partners on whether a mandate is needed or not.

“Dr. Dzirasa told me about it late last night,” Scott said. “She and I will meet and discuss what action plan we will take.”

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Russo says they might expect to see more cases after Memorial Day holiday weekend.