MARYLAND — Nearly 350,000 tests for the coronavirus in Maryland have been conducted, state health officials reported Sunday morning. The Maryland Department of Health has confirmed 52,778 cases of the virus in the state.
Coronavirus-related hospitalizations and patients on the intensive care unit (ICU) are at the lowest they have been in more than six weeks in Maryland, authorities said Sunday morning.
While metrics are trending down, officials say they are continuing to keep an eye on the data as the potential for the spread of the virus remains. There is no vaccine for the coronavirus, and there is no cure for COVID-19.
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Although gatherings of more than 10 are prohibited due to the virus in Maryland, protesters took to the streets of Baltimore Saturday to rally against the death of George Floyd of Minneapolis and others who have lost their lives at the hands of police.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who called the Minneapolis officer charged in Floyd's death a "murderer," said he and his colleagues would be watching the data closely in the coming weeks to see how the protests affected the spread of the coronavirus.
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"There's about a 14-day incubation period," Hogan said of the coronavirus. "Two weeks from now, across America, we're going to find out whether or not this gives us a spike and drives the numbers back up."
There are 479 people in the ICU with the virus as of Sunday morning in Maryland. The number of ICU patients with COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the virus, is at the lowest level since April 17, state officials said. With 1,183 patients in Maryland hospitalized with the virus, authorities report hospitalizations are also the lowest they have been since April 15.
The positivity rate, or the percentage of those testing positive for the coronavirus, is 10.9 percent, Maryland health officials said Sunday. Health experts say the lower the positivity rate, the better the chances are that a community is testing an adequate number of its population to stop the spread of the illness.
Officials say 2,411 Marylanders have died from COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus; lab results are pending for 121 others Sunday.
Maryland Coronavirus Cases By Race And EthnicityCourtesy of Maryland Department of Health.
Coronavirus 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, muscle pain, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell.
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.
