Note: All statistics about COVID-19 were updated as of the publishing date, Jan. 7, 2022. There will be some information that changes between that date and when this article is published. For the most up-to-date information about COVID-19 in Montgomery County, check out the website of the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

Article Summary

• Record highs were reported for number of cases in Montgomery County, and the US recently
• While the omicron variant is infecting more people, the percentage of infected that need hospitalization is much lower than previous variants
• DHHS recommends eligible residents—everyone above the age of 5—receive a COVID-19 shot; those 12 or above and five months past their last shot should receive their booster shot
• MCPS is shifting their COVID-19 school closing policy away from the 5% rule; previously, if a school had 5% or more of their students and staff test positive, that school would go online. After a majority of schools exceeded that on Wednesday night, the rule was annulled in an effort to keep kids in classrooms

COVID-19 cases in Montgomery County, Maryland and the US have all hit record highs in recent days, due to a surge of infections caused by winter break travel, holiday gatherings and a new variant that is more infectious than previous ones.

The omicron variant was first discovered in mid-November by scientists in Botswana, led by Dr. Sikhulile Moyo of the Botswanan-Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership. It quickly spread across southern Africa to every continent of the world, with the CDC reporting the first case in Botswana on Dec. 1. Scientists soon discovered it was more transmissible—a recent Dutch study found it was nearly three times more infectious than the delta variant, among the vaccinated—but less deadly.

“While omicron does appear to be less severe compared to delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as ‘mild,’” World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Jan. 6. “Just like previous variants, omicron is hospitalizing people and it is killing people.”

Rising Cases

According to The New York Times, Montgomery County reported 3,203 cases on Jan. 2, its highest ever on a day without an anomaly. On that same date, Maryland reported over 10,500 cases. More than one million cases were reported across the country on Jan. 3.

“There will certainly be a lot more cases because this is a much more transmissible virus than delta is,” President Biden’s Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, who also leads the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), said on CNN on Jan. 2.

The county has garnered praise for its high vaccination rate: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 95% of the total population has at least one shot and 83.8% are “fully vaccinated.” But, those high vaccination rates have not stopped the spread of omicron and COVID-19 in general.

“The only difficulty is that if you have so many cases, even if the rate of hospitalization is lower with omicron than it is with delta, there is still the danger that you will have a surging of hospitalizations that might stress the healthcare system,” Fauci said in the same CNN interview on Jan. 2.

There are different symptoms associated with omicron—fever, sore throat and other upper respiratory issues—that make it seem more like the common cold than COVID-19. The previous variants were known for causing loss of smell or taste, among other symptoms. Omicron also spreads quicker, which led the CDC to limit its quarantine time from 10 days to five for people who tested positive.

“CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said in a statement announcing the changes on Dec. 27. “These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives. Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings.”

Hospitals

The omicron variant now accounts for a majority of cases in the US, according to a December 2021 CDC statistic. But hospitalizations and deaths are not catching up to case levels: for the 14 days leading up to Jan. 7, The New York Times reported a 103% increase in hospitalizations in Montgomery County, a fraction of the 1,678% spike in cases.

“The new variant isn’t as deadly and we also know much more about COVID and how to treat it now,” Winston Churchill High School senior Aryaan Duggal, who volunteers at the Adventist Healthcare White Oak Medical Center, said. “People aren’t as frantic with going to the ER as last year.”

Local hospitals are not at full capacity, but they are filling up. The New York Times also keeps track of how full intensive care units (ICUs) are and found that most in the county are under 75%. 

Both Holy Cross Hospitals are in the 60s; Germantown is at 61& ICU capacity, while it is at 60% capacity in Silver Spring. At the Adventist Healthcare Medical Centers, the capacity is 51%  at Shady Grove and 60% at White Oak, where Duggal volunteers. Suburban Hospital in Bethesda is at 65% capacity. MedStar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney is at 94% ICU capacity.

“[Doctors, nurses and other hospital staff] are definitely stressed and the ERs and ICUs are packed. But the hospital’s ability to treat patients is still good,” Duggal said. “So our hospital is increasing testing before every procedure, limiting patient visitors to only one at a time, and mandating extra PPE (personal protective equipment) like scrubs and face shields .”

Schools

The rise in cases has led to pivots from in-person activities. Schools districts in Atlanta, Milwaukee, Newark, NJ and Prince George’s County, MD moved their operations online after winter break because of the rise in cases in their areas. MCPS did not.

“We wanted to make sure that we were making a decision that was differentiated, so we were treating every school appropriately, based on the information that we had,” Dr. Monifa B. McKnight, MCPS’s Interim Superintendent, said at a media press briefing on Jan. 4. “If we close down as a district… that would be 209 schools. And if there are some schools that are not impacted by the transmission rate of COVID-19 in the same way, then how are we helping them by preventing them from having in-person learning?”

This was emphasized in messages MCPS sent out before and during winter break. Dr. McKnight encouraged students, families and staff to get vaccinated, as well report positive tests and participate in safe practices like mask-wearing, handwashing and outdoor socialization.

While over 5,600 cases were reported over the break, and more during the first week of school in January, most schools remained in-person. On Tuesday, McKnight announced that 11 schools were transitioning to virtual learning because more than 5% of their stakeholders tested positive. Those schools were in the red category of the new color-coded system MCPS rolled out, before quickly dropping it after a majority of schools moved into the red zone—more than 5% of students and staff tested positive—on Wednesday night. The system then released update guidelines, which abandon the 5% rule.

“MCPS has been planning for this. We recognized when we were returning in the fall that anything could happen,” McKnight said at the Jan. 4 briefing. “Closing schools is not going to solve the problem of COVID-19 spread… I don’t believe [in] shutting all of the schools down.”

MCPS is also taking measures to limit spread in schools. Staff and students will receive KN95 masks every week, while students are set to receive at-home tests soon. More rapid tests are also going to be distributed in schools.

“As we manage through this pandemic—and I truly understand this as a parent and community member—I understand that there are fears and concerns about students coming back to school. I also am very aware that we’re 20 months into managing this pandemic,” McKnight said at a media press briefing on Jan. 4. “I do ask our parents to trust us.”

Winter sports teams have been impacted by COVID-19, too. Teams have had to experience canceled games because of surges, as well as a ban on games over winter break. Recently, it was announced that fans are banned from sporting events through at least Jan. 16. 

“It stands to reason that fewer people together will limit transmission, a reminder that omicron has proven to be extremely virulent and spreads easily,” MCPS Department of Communications Director Chris Cram said in an email.

Masks

The rise in cases has also raised questions about the most effective masks to prevent the spread. N95 and KN95 masks are considered the most effective. “That 95 really stands for keeping out 95% of particles, so omicron falls into that category,” University of Miami Associate Professor of Medicine Dr. Geeta Nayyar told WCBS, the CBS affiliate in New York City, on Jan. 3.

“We need to be wearing at least a three-ply surgical mask,” Dr. Leana Wen, the former Health Commissioner of Baltimore, said on CNN earlier this month. “You can wear a cloth mask on top of that, but do not just wear a cloth mask alone.”

A June 2021 report in Oxford Academic’s Journal of Infectious Diseases said outdoor transmissions make up “likely less than 1%” of cases. But, Paris reimposed an outdoor mask mandate at the end of the year. So far, there are no outdoor mask mandates in the US, but the City of Love is enforcing it strictly.

“To combat the new wave, the police in Paris announced that people ages 11 and older would be required to wear masks outside and in all public places, with some exceptions allowed for people exercising or riding bikes,” The New York Times wrote on Dec. 31.

MCPS is providing all staff with one KN95 mask per week. They are also continuing their policy of providing free masks to students, but that does not include KN95 masks.

“Masks have always been available to students and staff, MCPS has maintained those supplies,” Cram said. “KN-95 masks will be available to staff initially beginning this week we have an initial order for 250,000 most of which have already been delivered. Supply availability does dictate how many we can get at any one time.”

Booster Shots

From President Joe Biden to County Executive Marc Elrich, leaders are encouraging county residents to get booster shots. CDC data shows that over 42% of people who are eligible—those who are 12 years or older and are five months from their last dose—have a booster. That includes more than two-thirds of eligible senior citizens. On Jan. 5, the CDC approved the Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots for children aged 12 to 15, who can receive their booster five months after their  single dose of Johnson and Johnson’s vaccine or their second dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.

“Data from clinical trials showed that a booster shot increased the immune response in trial participants who finished a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna primary series six months earlier or who received a J&J/Janssen single-dose vaccine two months earlier,” a CDC webpage about booster shots says. “With an increased immune response, people should have improved protection against getting infected with COVID-19.”

Boosters generally limit the severity of infection a person has. Elrich tested positive on Jan. 1 for COVID-19, but only had sniffles and a headache, according to the Bethesda Beat. His condition may have been worse, if not for a booster.

“The dangers of the omicron variant are real, and I encourage everybody to take necessary steps to stay safe,” Elrich said in a Jan. 1 statement. “Our community’s high vaccination rate is critical to ensuring our ability to make it through this. Please remain vigilant, wear a mask, and get vaccinated and boosted!”

MCPS has previously encouraged eligible students and staff to get their booster shots. It should be noted that fourth shots are a possibility in the future, but are not actively being considered now.

Article by Jeremy Fredricks of Winston Churchill High School

Photo by Avery Wang of Richard Montgomery High School