ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland recorded its largest daily increase yet in coronavirus infections on Wednesday, a rise Gov. Larry Hogan attributed to an “emerging hotspot” in the Baltimore-Washington corridor as well as increased testing.
The number of cases rose to 5,529, up nearly 27% from 4,370 the day before. Recorded deaths from the virus rose to 124, up from 103 on Tuesday.
“This virus continues to spread in every jurisdiction, and as I have been saying for weeks, the Baltimore-Washington corridor has become an emerging hotspot,” Hogan tweeted.
Hogan noted that Wednesday’s numbers “reflect a tripling of the tests reported” as of Tuesday, the result of commercial labs beginning to clear backlogs. Hogan also pointed out that more than 30% of the new cases reported Wednesday are for testing that was completed in March.
“An increase in new infections is just one of the reasons for today’s significant jump in new cases,” Hogan said. “This is also due to our ongoing efforts to ramp up testing in Maryland, with more private labs coming onboard and the expansion of commercial lab capacity.”
Maryland has had 32,933 negative tests for the virus. For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia and death.
Maryland Health Secretary Robert Neall told state lawmakers during a conference call Wednesday that 92% of Maryland’s confirmed virus cases are in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, which includes the state’s most populated jurisdictions.
Hogan announced Tuesday that the Trump administration has designated the Baltimore-Washington corridor as a priority for federal attention, as the number of cases rise in and around the nation’s capital where many federal workers live and work.
Neall said five state vehicle emission inspection sites are now doing coronavirus testing, as well as a half-dozen independent testing sites. He described the progress as “not nearly as much testing as we need to do, but at least it’s moving in the right direction.”
Maryland has 1,178 ventilators available for use statewide, Neall said, and he has ordered “a little bit more than twice that.”
“Protective equipment is starting to come in,” Neall said. “We’re doing procurements of our own, and we’re also drawing down from the federal inventory.”
The health secretary also said the state is recruiting as many people as possible into the medical reserve corps, and physicians and nurses will likely graduate early to help with response. The state also has been recruiting volunteers.
He told lawmakers Maryland continues to work on getting alternative care sites such as hotels and college dorms.
“Just to give you an idea of the size and scope of this, we’re trying to stand up a temporary system that’s two-thirds the size of our existing system,” Neall said.
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