Bob Blubaugh

The Carroll County Health Department hasn’t announced a death resulting from COVID-19 since March 5, the only fatality so far this month.

While firefighters were responding to both fire scenes, the Gamber station was also alerted for a medical call involving a patient assist. Gamber was responded and provided assistance. No hospital transport was necessary.

Too many moved very quickly from the idealistic pledge that we were all in this together and turned the virus into a political fight about science — or at least sciency-sounding stuff we read on the internet — and whose elected official knows best.

Carroll’s number of new cases this week rose to 126, already higher than last week marking two consecutive weeks of case increases following seven consecutive declines in weekly totals.

“There has been a little bit of an uptick,” Maggie Kunz, health planner with the Carroll County Health Department told the commissioners. She elaborated that they are seeing an increase in cases among the younger age groups while older age groups continue to trend down.

In all, 60 people within Carroll County Public Schools tested positive for the coronavirus, 13 staff members and 47 students. Last week there were 48 people who tested positive, 17 staff and 31 students.

“There’s a reason these priority groups were created. Certain groups, certain people are more vulnerable to getting sick and potentially dying of COVID-19," Carroll Health Officer Ed Singer said during a virtual town hall that lasted more than 90 minutes Tuesday evening.

A Westminster man returned to his residence after a trip to New Jersey and found three gun safes missing, which had contained approximately 36 firearms, ammunition, $7,000 in currency and an insurance check. Two Westminster women have been charged with felony theft in the incident, police say.

According to Maryland Department of Health figures, Carroll ranked 20th out of the 24 counties (including Baltimore city) per capita in vaccine doses allocated by the state. Through Feb. 28, Carroll had received 16,543 doses, which works out to about 98 doses per 1,000 in population. The state average was 152 doses per 1,000.

While the Carroll County Health Department says there are 77 confirmed COVID-19 cases this week, there have been 101 probable cases reported.

There were three deaths in Carroll County attributed to COVID-19 last week and three the week before that. While a death was reported by the health department on Monday, it had actually occurred the previous week, so there have been no COVID-19 fatalities this week.

According to health department numbers, more than 27,000 Carroll countians have been vaccinated. Some 7,310 adults older than 75 have been vaccinated after nearly 900 got shots on Monday or Tuesday, leaving about 4,000 more in that group — many of whom have already turned down the vaccine.

With 32 total new cases reported this week, Carroll County is on pace for an eighth consecutive week of declining COVID-19 case numbers.

Board of County Commissioners President Ed Rothstein, R-District 5, and Health Officer Ed Singer will jointly head the town hall webinar on Tuesday, March 9 on the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in Carroll County.

Richard Shawn Wood, 51, of the 100 block of Carnival Drive, was charged with felony counts of first-degree assault and possession of a firearm prohibited because of a previous conviction.

Preliminarily, 100 total cases were reported last week by the Carroll Health Department. The county hasn’t seen a weekly total below 100 since the week of Oct. 18.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson isn’t available on Cameo, but his backups from last season are. Robert Griffin Jr. goes for $200 and Trace McSorley for $150. Still too much, but you really want a word with a Ravens QB? One-time clipboard holder Troy Smith will reach out for $35.

Carroll Lutheran Village in Westminster held a clinic on Thursday and vaccinated 552 individuals, which included CLV residents, team members and Lutheran clergy from area churches.

Logan Sean Balaz, 25, of the 3900 block of Shiloh Ave., has been charged with five felony counts of promotion/distribution of child pornography and five misdemeanor counts of possession of child pornography, according to electronic court records.

Health Officer Ed Singer said after administering vaccine to 500 Carroll County Public Schools employees on Wednesday, about 4,600 educators in Carroll — including day care providers and private schools — have been vaccinated. He estimated that some 1,700 who would like to be vaccinated remain.

Cindy McCabe, chief of schools, told the school board on Wednesday that CCPS will soon implement COVID-19 testing for students and staff.

The Carroll County Public Schools dashboard that tracks positive coronavirus cases reported Wednesday that 48 people — 11 staff members and 37 students — have the virus this week. Last week, 61 people — 14 staff and 47 students — tested positive.

So far this week, 741 first doses have been administered by the Carroll County Health Department out of its allotment of 1,000, bringing its total to 9,440 first doses and 3,928 second doses.

The case rate per 100,000 people dropped by more than 1 percentage point to 8.31%, according to the Carroll County Health Department, the lowest it has been since it was 7.63% on Oct. 29. The number peaked at 47.58 on Jan. 11.

Devin Lamar Harris, 32, of Taneytown, has been charged with felony first-degree assault and second-degree assault after police say they broke up a fight between him and a woman.

Much of what Rush Limbaugh said was horrifying, impossible to defend, racist, misogynistic. But his influence and impact on the medium is impossible to ignore. Regardless of one’s political bent, he was a pioneer and an incredibly important figure. When creating radio’s Mount Rushmore, start carving his face and Howard Stern’s face and then figure out who should join them.

The Carroll County Health Department has administered more than 1,700 COVID-19 vaccine doses this week despite canceling its clinic for the second consecutive day on Friday because of inclement weather.

As Carroll County’s COVID-19 positivity and case rates dipped to their lowest points since early November, the number of cases in congregate living facilities also continued its steep decline with no new cases reported this week.

The total number of people within Carroll County Public Schools with coronavirus dropped by three this week as of Wednesday to 61 after 14 employees and 47 students tested positive.

John Joseph, 20, of Tennessee, is charged with second-degree rape, third-degree sex offense, abuse of a minor and first-degree assault — all felonies — as well as misdemeanor charges of second-degree assault and fourth-degree sex contact, according to electronic court records.

The preliminary total for last week showed 168 COVID-19 cases in Carroll County, down from 207 the previous week. Last week marked the first time since the first week of November that Carroll County reported fewer than 200 cases.

Gabel Sierra-Jimenez, 26, of the unit block of Pennsylvania Avenue, is charged with one count of theft of items valued at $100-$1,499, seven counts of theft of items valued under $100 and seven counts of rogue and vagabond, all misdemeanors.

Is it just me or is it wrongheaded to present this as an either-or situation, with safer schools behind Door No. 1 and better adjusted kids behind Door No. 2?

Jason Tyler Green, 26, is charged with felony first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault and resisting arrest, according to electronic court records.

Carroll County has been allotted 1,000 first COVID-19 vaccine doses for each of the next four weeks, according to a Maryland Department of Health vaccine distribution bulletin released Friday.

"It’s just hard to understand why there is such a priority to put these [COVID-19] vaccinations in the mass vaccine clinics and the pharmacies when the people who know best about getting these needles in arms are local health departments,” said Carroll County Commissioner Stephen Wantz, R-District 1.

The Carroll County Health Department announced three COVID-19 related death Wednesday — one was over 65 years old, two were under 65 and all were from the community. There have been 218 fatalities in Carroll attributed to the coronavirus.

Carroll Hospital reported 21 patients positive for COVID-19 and nine under investigation for the virus on Tuesday. That down from 42 COVID-19 positive patients and 18 under investigation four weeks ago.

Last week’s preliminary total of 206 COVID-19 cases represents the fewest in Carroll County since the week of Nov. 1, when 156 cases were reported.

It will seem odd watching him play in the Super Bowl not in a New England Patriots uniform, being coached up by Bill Belichick. But it will be somehow reassuring to turn on the biggest game of the year and see TB12 dropping back to pass. What is not reassuring is the way every holiday seems to contribute to another spike in COVID-19 cases.

For the week, 141 cases have been reported, putting the county on pace for its lowest weekly number of cases since the week of Nov. 8, when 237 were reported.

Overdoses in January rose by more than 20% year over year and eight of those were fatal overdoses, which is four times as many as last January and the most in any month for Carroll since 2019, according to the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office’s monthly overdose report.

With the sugary exhibits staged in galleries and classrooms, the PEEPshow is usually held in about 2,500 square feet of space. This year, the plan is to spread everything out over 15,000 square square feet to make it safer for everyone from a public health perspective.

Carroll County is trending toward a fourth consecutive week of declining COVID-19 case numbers. The county has reported 105 cases this week, while there had been 188 total cases at the same point last week.

“We require identification to rent a hotel room, apply for a job, enter state government buildings, or even to purchase certain types of medication. This proposal lays out several forms of identification that can be used to add a layer of assurance at the polls that people are who they say they are.”

Additionally, health department numbers show 2,610 out of an estimated 11,348 in Carroll who are 75 or over have been vaccinated, not including the 500 scheduled for Thursday. Singer said “roughly 75 percent” of those living in long-term care facilities have been vaccinated.

Carroll County, which has seen declines in COVID-19 cases in each of the past three weeks, has reported 77 new cases this week. There had been 137 total cases at the same point last week.

Vaccine distribution being done by the Carroll County Health Department has been unaffected by the snow so far this week, with clinics scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

According to the health department, Carroll County saw 292 cases last week after seeing 302 the prior week and 375 the week of Jan. 10. Carroll’s most total cases for a week was 503 the week of Jan. 3.

I’m so surprised by how many people today prefer an echo chamber. They put their TV on Fox News or MSNBC and throw away the remote. They restrict their Facebook “friends” to those who share their views. They cancel their newspaper subscriptions because of a column they disliked. Is the other side of an argument that scary?