Harford County Coronavirus Spread Is 'Alarming': Health Officer

Elizabeth Janney
Updated ·3 min read

HARFORD COUNTY, MD — The health officer for Harford County said she was concerned about the rising coronavirus case and positivity rates, speaking at the Harford County Council meeting Tuesday night.

"The Harford County statistics have become alarming," Acting Harford County Health Officer Marcy Austin said.

As of Tuesday, Harford County had 4,188 confirmed cases of the virus and 80 deaths from COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus.

"Of note, children ages 0 to 9 had the highest increase of new cases at 38 percent increase over the past two weeks compared to all other age ranges," Austin said.

Here are the latest statistics provided by Austin Tuesday night:

  • Positivity rate: 6.94

    • Harford County's positivity rate increased 49 percent over the past two weeks, Austin said; it averaged 4.70 before.

    • Positivity rates should be below 5 percent to reflect testing capacity is sufficient, according to Johns Hopkins.

  • New daily cases: 21.42 cases per 100,000

    • This is a 71 percent increase in the past two weeks; previously it was 12.70 cases per day, she said.

    • When an area exceeds 10 new cases per 100,000, community spread has accelerated and is at dangerous levels, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute.

  • COVID-19 deaths: Three deaths were reported in the past two weeks.

    • Four deaths related to COVID-19 were reported in the two weeks prior.

  • Statewide hospitalizations: 761

    • Two weeks ago, on Oct. 27, officials said 471 were hospitalized in Maryland with the virus.

"I'm increasingly concerned about the rise in cases," Austin said. "The next couple of months will be difficult. I believe that the numbers will depend on the actions we all take individually and as a community."

She gave guidance for how to slow the spread.

"We need to wear masks, follow social distancing guidelines, wash our hands frequently and forego large gatherings," Austin said. "We need to be mindful of our behaviors as we enter the holiday season."

High-Risk Activities In Harford

One way health officials try to contain the virus is through contact tracing, or identifying who may have had contact with an infected person. These people can then self-quarantine and get tested to prevent infecting others.

Through contact tracing investigations, these were identified as the leading high-risk gatherings in Harford County, according to Austin:

  • Family gatherings

  • Religious services

  • House parties

  • Outdoor events

  • Dinner parties

  • Funerals

  • Weddings

  • Sporting events

These were the leading high-risk locations in Harford County, she said:

  • Working outside the home

  • Indoor retail and shopping

  • Indoor dining

  • Outdoor dining

  • Outdoor recreation

  • Personal services

  • Fitness centers

Mental Health Concerns For Children

Administrators with Harford County Public Schools rolled back reopening plans this week based on coronavirus data. Cases and positivity exceeded the Maryland Department of Education metrics for safe in-person instruction.

Harford County's coronavirus case rate exceeded 15 per 100,000 people and the positivity rate exceeded 5 percent Saturday, Austin said.

"We've been in constant contact with the school system, and since then [Saturday], we've seen the numbers rise even more quickly," Austin said. "I'm in full agreement with the plan to keep children safe."

That said, she noted Tuesday that safety includes protecting mental health.

"There is a deep community concern for the mental health of our children as they have been out of school for this extended period of time," Austin said.

She encouraged those whose children exhibited signs of depression, anxiety and stress to get help.

“The Harford County Health Department is prepared to hire more counselors to handle this emergency mental health crisis for our youth and adolescents,” Austin said.

She offered these resources for those seeking help:

She added that the health department continues serving adults with mental health issues and people with addiction during the pandemic.

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This article originally appeared on the Bel Air Patch