While Maryland’s Prince George’s County still has what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers a substantial transmission rate for COVID-19, the county is starting to see the numbers decline, Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks said during a townhall-style telephone conference on the pandemic Tuesday night.
Prince George’s County now averages 82 COVID cases per week per 100,000 residents, as of the latest report on Tuesday evening.
“That number represents one of the lowest transmission rates in the state, despite the fact our county was one of the hardest-hit jurisdictions in the region,” Alsobrooks said. “We initially had one of the highest transmission rates in the state, we’ve now been among the lowest in the state for weeks.”
Prince George’s County has struggled over the last year to get residents vaccinated.
But now, 89% of adults have received at least one vaccine dose, and 78% are considered fully vaccinated. Nearly 99% of senior citizens have received at least one dose and 89% are fully vaccinated.
“These are very encouraging numbers to see, and if you’re still not vaccinated, please don’t wait any longer to get protected against this virus,” Alsobrooks said.
The county is continuing efforts to vaccinate children now that emergency use is authorized for children as young as 5.
“We are encouraged that many of our students are at least partially vaccinated, we encourage all of our students to get all of their shots,” said Monica Goldson, CEO of Prince George’s County Public Schools, who participated in the call.
The county is operating mobile vaccination clinics at 50 schools, where even adults are eligible to get vaccinated alongside their child.
While the omicron variant has been detected in Maryland, officials said there’s been no evidence omicron is in the county — although health officials said they cannot rule it out, contending that vaccination is the best protection.
“The recent emergency of the omicron variant further emphasizes the importance of getting vaccinated, the important of vaccination, boosters and general prevention strategies needed to protect against COVID-19,” said Dr. George Askew, the county’s deputy chief administrative officer for health, human services and education.
