How the Coronavirus is Affecting Northern Frederick County
James Rada, Jr.
With the State of Maryland encouraging people to stay in and reducing the ability of businesses to operate, Christmas was sadder than usual this year. However, at least one of the two vaccines against COVID-19 was expected to be approved and starting to be administered by this month.
As of December 19, Frederick County has had 9,380 cases of COVID-19, and 160 deaths from the virus. The Frederick County Health Department also reports cases, but not deaths, by zip code.
Locally, here’s how things look by zip code:
Thurmont—379
Emmitsburg—164
Sabillasville—68
Woodsboro—73
Rocky Ridge—37
Looking at the county data on December 19, it showed that hospitalizations from COVID-19 were up from their peak in May, but ICU hospitalizations were down. This seems to indicate that although more people were getting sick enough to go to the hospital, fewer cases were critical.
Getting Tested
If you are interested in getting tested for COVID-19, you have various options in Frederick County.
Frederick Health Hospital offers curbside testing at Frederick Health Village behind the Walmart on Monocacy Boulevard, from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily. Testing is done using a nasopharyngeal swab. The health department will phone you with your results and notify the state health department of any positive cases.
The health department is also providing community testing sites. The locations and dates vary, but you can find out information on the Frederick County Health Department website or local government websites. Testing at these sites is primarily done using a nasopharyngeal swab, but oropharyngeal or anterior nasal swabs may be available depending on supplies.
Pixel by LabCorp and Quest Diagnostics offer at-home test kits. You can get more information from their websites.
Stay Safe
Remember to stay safe, particularly if you are an at-risk population, such as an elderly person or someone who is immunocompromised. Even if you aren’t in an at-risk group but worry about catching the virus, stay home as much as possible, and get tested if you think you have come into contact with the virus.
Also, having COVID-19 is not a death sentence. The current best estimates from the Centers for Disease Control show the percentage of people who have coronavirus and survive in the following age groups:
0-19 years old—99.997 percent
20-49 years old—99.98 percent
50-69 years old—99.5 percent
70+ years old—94.6 percent
As more people are vaccinated against COVID-19 or recover from the virus, the hope is that we will soon reach a point where the virus loses its hold on us, and we can begin recovering from the other damages coronavirus has done to Frederick County…and everywhere.
Helpful Websites:
Pixel by LabCorp — www.pixel.labcorp.com
Quest Diagnostics — www.questdiagnostics.com
Frederick Health Hospital — www.frederickhealth.org
Frederick Co. Health Dept. — www.health.frederickcountymd.gov
