Four additional Carroll countians have contracted COVID-19, the county health department reported Wednesday.
All four of those people who tested positive were members of the wider community outside congregate living facilities, such as nursing homes, where about half of the county’s cases and the majority of its deaths have occurred. No new cases or deaths were confirmed in such facilities Wednesday.
The Carroll County Health Department now considers local outbreaks at the Fairhaven retirement community in Sykesville and Westminster Healthcare Center to be closed, meaning at least 14 days have past since the onset of the most recent case at each facility.
No new cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, have been confirmed at congregate living facilities since July 6. That total stands at 649, and 118 of those cases have resulted in deaths.
The county has now seen a total of 1,213 cases, 564 of which have been confirmed outside of congregate living facilities.
The county’s positivity rate, or the rate at which tests of Carroll residents return positive, dropped for the sixth day in a row, to 1.87% through July 14. The positivity rate is reported as a seven-day rolling average based on data from the Maryland Department of Health. The statewide rate is 4.49%.
In a Tuesday statement, Carroll County Health Officer Ed Singer urged Carroll countians to continue using face coverings, noting that COVID-19 primarily spreads through droplets from sneezing, coughing or even talking.
“Experts now believe that wearing face coverings in public — whether or not a person has symptoms — helps slow the spread, which helps save lives,” Singer said.
Of the 564 community members to test positive, 12 are younger than 10 years old; 33 are in the 10-19 range; 98 are 20-29 years old; 80 are 30-39; 88 are 40-49; 146 are 50-59; 74 are 60-69; 19 are 70-79; and 14 are 80-89. Women have accounted for 279 of the positive tests, and men 285. In cases where race is known, 87% of those testing positive have been white, 7% have been Black and 6% considered “Other.” Where ethnicity is known, 17% are Hispanic.
According to health department data, Westminster has the most cases in Carroll, with 397 across two ZIP codes, followed by Sykesville/Eldersburg with 330, Mount Airy with 187, Manchester with 88, Hampstead with 47, Taneytown with 44, Finksburg with 38, Keymar with 28, New Windsor with 23, Woodbine with 13, and Marriottsville and Union Bridge with eight each. Data is suppressed in ZIP codes with seven cases or fewer.
The number of hospitalizations for the disease remained at 84 Wednesday.
Anyone who thinks they or a family member might be showing coronavirus symptoms can call that hotline between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 410-876-4848, or contact their doctor. After hours, callers may leave a message or call 211. People with emergencies should continue to call 911.