The latest numbers on the coronavirus pandemic in Maryland look good, with the exception of the area around a popular vacation spot.
The statistics released by Gov. Larry Hogan’s office Thursday show that the percentage of COVID-19 tests that came back positive Wednesday was 3.83%, bringing the statewide seven-day average to 4.03%, the lowest level since the pandemic began.
The percentage of testing is considered an important metric, because it shows that enough testing is being done to find and isolate outbreaks.
Montgomery County is doing even better than the state, the governor’s office said, with a positivity rate of 2.54%.
Meanwhile, the current total number of hospitalizations dipped by 20, to 535, although intensive-care beds in use went up five to 139, the governor’s office said.
The bad news: Worcester County, home to Ocean City, has seen a rise in positivity in the past week, nearly doubling since July 31, to 6.5%.
The new cases are showing the trend toward younger patients: 56% of the day’s new cases in Maryland are younger than 40, and though the positivity rate among Marylanders under 35 dropped to 5.55%, that’s still higher than the statewide average.
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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.
