COVID-19-related hospitalizations have not been this high in Prince George’s County, Maryland, since February 2021, and the county’s health officer is alarmed.
Dr. Ernest Carter released a statement urging everyone in the county who is eligible and has not been vaccinated to get the shot.
“I am extremely concerned that the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the County has increased 37% since last week, reaching over 200 patients on Monday for the first time since February 2021,” he said Wednesday.
He’s asking residents 5 years or older to get vaccinated as soon as possible and get a booster dose if they are 16 and older.
“It will save your life,” Carter said.
Carter said that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies show that COVID-19 patients are 17 times more likely to be unvaccinated, and individuals who have not received a booster dose are 20 times more likely to die from the coronavirus than those who have received a booster.
Maryland surpassed 2,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations Wednesday, and Gov. Larry Hogan said the surge is “driven primarily by unvaccinated patients.”
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