Maryland Coronavirus Hospitalizations Drop, ICU Cases Increase

MARYLAND — With 1,053 new cases confirmed in the past day, the Maryland Department of Health reported Sunday that 32,587 people statewide have tested positive for the new coronavirus. Of those, nearly 9,500 are in Prince George's county, which has the most confirmed cases in the state.

About 29 percent of Maryland's coronavirus cases are concentrated in Prince George's County, which accounts for 15 percent of the state's population. In one ZIP code alone there — 20783 — officials say more than 1,100 people have tested positive for the virus.

Statewide, 1,640 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Sunday morning, 611 of them in the intensive care unit (ICU), health officials reported. That is the highest number of coronavirus patients in the ICU the state has ever reported since it began sharing that data publicly April 21.

The increase in ICU patients comes after Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday that it was "encouraging" to see the number of those who had been in the ICU with the virus had been "flat" for more than a week and hospitalizations had been going down.

"If these trends continue into next week, we will be ready to lift the stay-at-home order and to begin stage 1 of our recovery plan," Hogan said Wednesday at a news conference. "As our plan has spelled out, that would mean the reopening of certain types of businesses and lower risk community religious and quality of life activities."

Said Hogan: "When I introduced the roadmap to recovery, I said that if Marylanders continued staying home and continued practicing social distancing, I was hopeful that the key numbers we were tracking — the rate of hospitalizations and the number of patients in ICU — would potentially plateau, perhaps as early as early May. We said if we did start to see a leveling trend in those metrics, we would be in position to begin stage one of the recovery plan."

A total of 1,538 Marylanders have died from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, officials reported Sunday morning. An additional 106 have COVID-19 listed as a cause of death on their death certificates, authorities say, with test results pending.

For the latest developments on the coronavirus in Maryland, get Patch news alerts.

Since the first confirmed cases of the virus in Maryland on March 5, authorities say 5,955 people have been hospitalized due to COVID-19. After having the virus, 2,293 people in Maryland have been released from isolation.

So far, the state has reported 127,344 negative test results, an increase of 2,850 since the previous day.

Effective Thursday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan lifted restrictions on some services such as elective medical procedures and opened amenities like beaches and playgrounds at state parks. Golf courses were able to reopen, and activities such as boating and fishing were again permitted.

On Saturday, Ocean City reopened its boardwalk and beaches; its mayor reminds people that the governor's stay-at-home order is in effect, and only essential travel is permitted.

Coronavirus in Maryland: A Snapshot

Here is a look at Maryland's coronavirus numbers as of Sunday, May 10:

Case Count By ZIP Code

These are the ZIP codes with the highest coronavirus case counts in Maryland Sunday, according to Kata Hall, spokeswoman for the governor:

• 1,147 cases — ZIP code 20783 (Prince George's County)
• 687 cases — ZIP code 20906 (Montgomery County)
• 630 cases — ZIP code 20706 (Prince George's County)
• 584 cases — ZIP code 20902 (Montgomery County)
• 545 cases — ZIP code 20784 (Prince George's County)
• 544 cases — ZIP code 20904 (Montgomery County)
• 508 cases — ZIP code 20782 (Prince George's County)
• 483 cases — ZIP code 21224 (Baltimore City/Baltimore County)
• 470 cases — ZIP code 21215 (Baltimore City/Baltimore County)
• 444 cases — ZIP code 20903 (Montgomery County)

Maryland Coronavirus Cases By Jurisdiction

Maryland Coronavirus Cases By Age And Gender

Maryland Coronavirus By Race And Ethnicity

Coronavirus At Group Living Facilities

The state began providing information in late April about coronavirus cases in congregate living facilities, and officials say those numbers are updated weekly on Wednesdays.

Teams are conducting universal testing for nursing home residents and staff as well as workers at two poultry processing plants, according to state authorities, who have prioritized outbreaks and hot spots.

The state sent 3,128 tests to Maryland nursing homes this week, with 850 scheduled for this weekend, according to Mike Ricci, spokesman for the governor.

Testing Sites Across The State

The state is expanding testing for health care workers and first responders at local fire and EMS departments, and for health care workers at the Maryland Department of Health, Maryland Department of Public Safety and Corrections and the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, Hogan announced Wednesday. See more on testing sites in Maryland.

COVID-19 Symptoms

Symptoms of the new coronavirus can appear two to 14 days after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which lists the following as possible indicators of the illness: fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, chills, repeated shaking with chills, muscle pain, headache, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell.

The CDC has an online self-checker tool for those concerned they may have the virus.
Health officials say most people with the virus will experience mild symptoms and can recover at home. Older adults and people of any age with serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19, according to the CDC.

People should call 911 and seek immediate medical attention if they have trouble breathing, bluish lips or face, new confusion or inability to arouse and/or persistent pain or pressure in the chest.

See Also:

• MD Governor Eases Restrictions; Reopening From Coronavirus Ahead
• Ocean City Beaches To Reopen This Weekend
• Maryland Schools To Close For Rest Of Spring: Coronavirus
• Hogan Administration Sued Over Stay-At-Home Order: MD Coronavirus