PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - Somerset County now has the highest COVID positivity rate in the state of Maryland.
As of Wednesday, the county sits at 23.39%. A grim reminder COVID is home for the holiday.
Over the past few days, Somerset County's health department has partnered with Wicomico County's health department to offer more testing locations.
The increased number of tests is one of the primary reasons why Somerset's number is so high. Sharon Lynch of the Somerset County Health Department says community transmission is one of the main causes of the spread.
"Somebody goes to an event with others. Comes home. Unknowingly is infected and shares it with others," Sharon says, "they may go to work and not know. Come home and share it with their family members or go out to another event and it just spreads."
23.39% is a startling figure. So why is the rate so high, again? "The positivity rate is going to change with the number of testing and we've stood up some additional testing sites this week. So as we stand up sites we have more tests and our rates will potentially increase," Lynch says.
Secondly, Somerset's population sits at around 26,000. So, the smaller the population, the higher the percent positive may be.
Somerset is also home to the Eastern Correctional Institution. Health officials tell WBOC that all the positive cases inside ECI are attributed to Somerset County.
And with Christmas only three weeks away, the county health department expects the numbers to continue to rise.
