January 5th, 2023 by WCBC Radio

COVID-19 cases rose over the holiday, which resulted in 778 Marylanders starting the new year in the hospital being treated for the illness. That number is down very slightly from last Friday but remains at a level not seen since February of last year. The positivity rate of more than 15.2% is also the highest it's been in almost a year. Locally the numbers are trending in the wrong direction with the community transmission level in Allegany County in the medium category. The 12 cases per day is a 40% increase from two weeks ago and the positivity rate remains high. On the vaccination front, more than two years after the vaccine was made available, Allegany County’s rates remains among the lowest in the state with just 57% of the population fully vaccinated. Maryland’s Secretary of Health Dennis Schrader said unfortunately there are some regions of the state where vaccinations are not considered a priority…