By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department
The Garrett County Health Department has received preliminary notification of two recent county deaths linked to COVID-19, most likely the Delta variant. These are the first deaths since April that are attributed to COVID-19 or its complications, bringing the county death total to 67 persons.
No additional information is available for release concerning these deaths at this time. However, studies have shown that the Delta variant is much more contagious and is impacting younger populations.
“While Garrett has had some breakthrough cases among persons who are vaccinated, the vast majority of new cases are among persons who are unvaccinated,” said Garrett County Health Officer Bob Stephens. “We are currently witnessing a surge of cases and the best protection for our community is still vaccination and wearing a face mask when indoors.”
Vaccination takes between 2 and 6 weeks to reach full immunity protection. Health officials are recommending that persons who are currently not vaccinated be vaccinated as soon as possible.
The Garrett County Health Department has a vaccination clinic scheduled at the Oakland office on Tuesday, August 30th, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 301-334-7697 to schedule an appointment. Walk ins are also welcome. Additional clinics are scheduled each Tuesday at the Oakland office.
A clinic is also scheduled at the Grantsville office on Friday, September 3rd, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 301-334-7697 to schedule an appointment. Walk ins are also welcome. Additional clinics are scheduled each Friday at the Grantsville office.
“Community testing is the highest it has been since last January,” Stephens said, “and Garrett County’s positivity rate has consistently been over 10%. This indicates that the virus is more prevalent in the community than reflected in our current case rate of 24.13 per 100,000.”
Testing for COVID-19 is available at the Oakland office of the Health Department each weekday, Monday through Friday, unless otherwise announced. Call 301-334-7697 to schedule an appointment.
For additional information, call 301-334-7698 or 301-895-3111.
