The weather was cool and moist most of the weekend. Today we have a chance of rain and snow showers, mainly before 8:00 am. We actually got a dusting of snow overnight. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 36 degrees. West wind around 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 27.
My wife and I went down to the Cumberland fair grounds last week where they offer drive-through COVID-19 testing for free (note: they are only open on certain days/times) . It was quick, easy, and the whole process was very well organized and professional. We were out of there in 15 minutes. Still waiting for results, and we are fine, but thought it would be good to get tested. I know there was also testing in Garrett on Friday and likely more coming up. I believe, as do many health specialists, that testing, masks and social distancing are keys to getting the pandemic under control!
Came a across a dwelling fire in Swanton off Glendale Road on Saturday. It was a controlled training burn by the fire department of an old cabin. I must say, even though it was a relatively small structure, the fire was “intense” and I could feel the heat even from a distance. My thanks to all those first responders that put themselves in harm’s way to protect us all. Here’s the photo:
Training Fire
The Garrett County Health Department reported Friday that it has received notification of 112 additional COVID-19 positive cases since the last report on Wednesday, as well as two deaths attributed to COVID-19. Both of the deceased were living in Allegany County long-term care facilities, but their official residency was Garrett County. As a general rule, COVID-19 cases are counted in the jurisdiction where they lived when infected, but deaths are attributed to the county of official residence. These additions bring the total cumulative case count in Garrett County to 511, and the total deaths to 3.
Garrett Regional Medical Center (GRMC) reached out over the weekend via a press release to make sure residents know that with the rise in COVID-19 in the region, GRMC stands ready to meet the health care needs of the service area. The 55-bed acute care hospital has both the staff and capacity to care for COVID patients as well as the ability to care for patients diagnosed and hospitalized with other conditions. I believe we are truly blessed to have a great hospital like GRMC in our rural county and I put this in to make sure readers know GRMC is ready, willing and able to help should the need arise to help a given citizen.
A firm called Filterbuy recently conducted a study of ashma and other issues that could prove important relative to a COVID-19 diagnosis.I have not evaluated the firm or the methodology, so I leave that up to our readers. In summary, here’s the results:
The analysis found that in Maryland, 9.0% of adults report having asthma. The analysis also revealed a 32.2% obesity rate in Maryland. According to the CDC, obesity is associated significantly with the development of asthma. Here is a summary of the data for Maryland:
- Percentage of adults with asthma: 9.0%
- Percentage of adults who smoke: 12.7%
- Percentage of adults in poor physical health: 10.0%
- Obesity rate: 32.2%
- Poverty rate: 9.0%
For reference, here are the statistics for the entire United States:
- Percentage of adults with asthma: 9.7%
- Percentage of adults who smoke: 16.0%
- Percentage of adults in poor physical health: 12.6%
- Obesity rate: 32.1%
- Poverty rate: 12.3%
For more information, a detailed methodology, and complete results, you can find the original report on Filterbuy’s website: https://filterbuy.com/resources/cities-with-most-asthma/
Here’s a closer view of the “practice” fire off Glendale on Saturday. It was still smoldering a bit on Sunday:
A Closer View
Have a great Monday dear readers…
