Baltimore County declares emergency as COVID-19 cases rise 370 percent

Baltimore County has declared a local state of emergency as COVID-19 cases have risen 370 percent since July.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski declared the state of emergency on Tuesday in order to easily enact more COVID-19 measures and get help from the state if needed, WBALTV 11 reported.

There have been 694 new cases between Aug. 19 and Aug. 24.

Olszewski said in a CNN interview hospitalizations have also gone up 611 percent in the area even though 74 percent of eligible residents are vaccinated.

“A lot of our younger people and those who are unvaccinated are still catching this deadly variant,” Olszewski said.

Only 0.2 percent of the cases have been among individuals who are fully vaccinated, according to Olszewski. 

Baltimore County declares a state of emergency as it sees a 370% increase in Covid-19 cases.

County Executive Johnny Olszewski: “74% of eligible residents are vaccinated, but … a lot of our younger people and those who are unvaccinated are still catching this deadly variant.” pic.twitter.com/ldWsp3rPNf

— New Day (@NewDay) August 26, 2021

The previous local state of emergency ended on July 9, but the delta variant has caused a surge in cases around the country.

“This is serious, and we encourage residents to not take this delta variant lightly,” Olszewski said, according to the local outlet.

No new mask or vaccine mandates were announced on Tuesday when the state of emergency was declared, but Olszewski said new mandates are not off the table.

Currently, residents have to mask in all Baltimore County public school buildings.