Maryland Meets Coronavirus Testing Goal, Sees Positivity Rate Decrease, 909 New Cases
All of Maryland’s 24 jurisdictions have met the goal of testing 10% of their populations for the coronavirus.
The state’s COVID-19 positivity rate has dropped to 4.47% after it has administered 1.25 million tests, Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan Jr. (R) said in a press release. It has remained below 5% since June 25.
“Our aggressive statewide testing strategy is helping us to understand, identify, and stop the spread of this virus, and I want to commend all of our local jurisdictions for stepping up to meet our goal of testing 10% of their populations,” Hogan said.
With Cecil County testing 10.1% this week, all 24 jurisdictions have reached Maryland’s 10% testing goal set by the Hogan administration. Somerset County tested the most by any jurisdiction in the state (24.4%).
The testing milestone comes after Hogan announced stricter face mask rules and a travel advisory for states with coronavirus surges.
While more state residents are being tested, four jurisdictions continue to average higher positivity rates, including Baltimore County (5.53%), Baltimore City (6.12%), Prince George’s County (6.35%) and Talbot County (5.49%).
As of Sunday, 553 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in Maryland, with 129 ICU beds in use. COVID-19 has claimed the lives of 3,381 people in Marylander.
There is an increase in cases among those ages 40 and under, according to the release. The positivity rate among Marylanders under 35 (6.25%) is 73.6% higher than those aged 35 and older (3.60%).
Residents who display symptoms are encouraged to take advantage of Maryland’s testing sites, which has grown to more than 200 locations. A list of all the testing sites is available online via the state’s coronavirus website.
“The state of Maryland continues to make unlimited quantities of tests available to any jurisdiction that needs them,” Hogan said.
As part of Maryland Matters’ content sharing agreement with WTOP, we feature this article from Valerie Bonk. Click here for the WTOP News website.
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