Maryland’s COVID positivity rate drops below 7%, ICU beds below 300 for the first time since April

Maryland’s COVID positivity rate drops below 7%, ICU beds below 300 for the first time since April

@BryanRenbaum

The number of positive coronavirus cases in Maryland has dropped to 6.55 percent and the number of patients in ICU beds has dropped to below 300. The latter marks the lowest rate since April 6.

The data was released by the Maryland Department of Health on Monday. It comes exactly one month after the state embarked upon the first stage of its recovery process.

The latest figures mean that the number of positive cases in Maryland is now in single digits in all of the state’s 24 jurisdictions. The figures are based on a seven-day rolling average.

Gov. Larry Hogan applauded the good news, however, he also urged Marylanders to remain vigilant in the fight against the virus.

“Today marks one month since we began Stage One of our safe, gradual, and effective roadmap to recovery, and all of our key health metrics continue to trend in a positive direction,” Hogan said in a statement. “Maryland has now conducted more than 500,000 COVID-19 tests, and over the past eight weeks we have increased testing by 510%. Once again, we are strongly encouraging anyone who wants to be tested and anyone who has been in any large gathering or who may have been exposed, especially those who are in or who are around vulnerable populations, to get tested.”

The total number of tests performed by the state is 500,971.

The total number of patients in hospitals is 745.

Since May 15, when Hogan lifted the state’s stay-at-home order, the number of positive cases has dropped by more than 60 percent. Since April 17, when the virus reached its peak, the number of positive cases has dropped more than 75 percent. Maryland’s daily positivity rate is now slightly over 5 percent.

The positivity rate in twelve of the state’s jurisdictions is below five percent. Prince George’s County has the state’s highest positivity rate at 9.88 percent.

The number of confirmed COVID-19-related deaths in Maryland has declined by than more than quarter over the past week when compared with that of week prior.

The state has setup more than 150 COVID-19 testing centers. Many of the centers do not require an appointment for testing and patients do not need to exhibit symptoms of the virus in order to obtain  permission to be tested.

The are 62,032 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maryland as of Monday morning and 2,817 people in the state have died from the virus.

Maryland is now in Stage 2 of the recovery process. Indoor dining has resumed with restrictions limiting patronage to 50 percent capacity. Most non-essential businesses have reopened. And on Friday at 5 p.m. indoor recreational establishments such as gyms and dance studios are allowed to reopen.

About The Author

Bryan Renbaum

[email protected]

Reporter Bryan Renbaum served as the Capitol Hill Correspondent for Talk Media News for the past three-and-a-half years, filing print, radio and video reports on the Senate and the House of Representatives. He covered congressional reaction to the inauguration of President Donald Trump as well as the confirmation hearings of attorneys general Jeff Sessions and William Barr and Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He also filed breaking news reports on the 2017 shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and three others. Previously Bryan broke multiple stories with the Baltimore Post-Examiner including sexual assault scandals at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and a texting scandal on the women’s lacrosse team at that school for which he was interviewed by ABC’s “Good Morning America.” He also covered the Maryland General Assembly during the 2016 legislative session as an intern for Maryland Reporter. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from McDaniel College. If you have additional questions or comments contact Bryan at: [email protected]

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