MD Governor On New Coronavirus: Situation Will 'Escalate Rapidly'

ANNAPOLIS, MD — All cases of the new coronavirus in Maryland so far have been linked to travel out of state, according to Gov. Larry Hogan. The first five traveled overseas, the governor said. A sixth person in Maryland contracted the novel coronavirus out of state, he reported.

As more Marylanders are being tested and the number of confirmed cases of COVID-10 grows, he anticipates the focus shifting from containment to mitigation.

"This problem continues to escalate rapidly," Hogan said. "It is going to shift from containment to trying to deal with the situation on the ground," he said, citing information health leaders and other governors shared that "it starts to escalate pretty rapidly."

About five hours after Hogan said this at a news conference Monday afternoon, Maryland saw its sixth case of the new coronavirus confirmed.

The Prince George’s County resident contracted the virus while traveling out of Maryland, according to a statement from the governor's office.

At least 73 people in Maryland have tested negative for the new coronavirus as of Monday night. The Maryland Department of Health, which had been updating its website with how many people were being tested, is no longer posting how many results are pending as the number grows with the addition of commercial laboratories to the testing pool.

While the state health website does not reflect it, Hogan said 18 Marylanders who have been linked to cruise ships are undergoing testing for COVID-19.

Six Marylanders who traveled on an Egyptian cruise ship between Feb. 19 and March 4 are being tested after state health officials determined they had been on the same boat where three Montgomery County residents contracted the new coronavirus on a Nile River cruise, Hogan said.

"All six are under self-quarantine out of an abundance of caution," Hogan said. "Two of them are experiencing symptoms."

The three Montgomery County residents who went on the ship were the first in the state to test positive for the illness, which was reported Thursday. Since then, the trip has been linked to 12 cases of novel coronavirus in the Houston area, Hogan said Monday.

He said a dozen Marylanders were also being tested in connection with another cruise ship.

"Twelve Marylanders are aboard the Grand Princess, which as we speak is docked off the coast of California," Hogan said Monday afternoon.

The cruise ship was barred from returning to San Francisco from a Feb. 21 voyage after two passengers on the cruise to Mexico contracted the novel coronavirus.

"All aboard the ship are being transferred to military bases in Texas and Georgia for examination and to be quarantined," Hogan said.

None of the Marylanders on the Grand Princess ship had symptoms, Hogan said.

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Symptoms of the new coronavirus are fever, cough, difficulty breathing and pneumonia, resulting in anything from mild respiratory issues to death.

An 86-year-old Harford County woman who traveled to Turkey remains hospitalized in Maryland after she tested positive for the novel coronavirus Sunday, officials said.

"This appears to be the first case of COVID-19 anywhere in the world to be associated with travel to Turkey," Hogan said at a news conference Monday afternoon.

A Montgomery County man in his 60s who traveled to Egypt and Thailand also tested positive for the illness.

"There are no major concerns regarding potential exposure," Hogan said of the two cases that were reported Sunday. "Neither of these individuals attended any gatherings or events."

The Montgomery County residents who tested positive Thursday sparked a public notification to those who had attended events in Philadelphia and Rockville that they may have been exposed.

"So far, we have no cases of transmission," Hogan said Monday. "All of our cases at this point are related to foreign travel."

New Guidance, Task Force In Maryland

New guidance was issued Monday for Maryland state employees, who are now no longer to travel out of state for work.

Hogan said he will hold a cabinet meeting Tuesday to ensure the state is ready for the "all-hands-on-deck operation" of responding to COVID-19.

The average person who has the novel coronavirus is 60 years old, while the average person who dies from it is 80, according to Hogan.

"People that are in nursing homes are the ones we are most concerned about," he said.

The state is establishing a coronavirus response team that will meet Tuesday "to ensure we are taking every precaution possible to protect Maryland's seniors and retirees," said Hogan.

Children and young adults seem less impacted by the illness, according to the governor, who cited the latest information available.

The new coronavirus was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China.

The virus spreads between those closer than 6 feet apart through respiratory droplets when a person who is infected coughs or sneezes and the droplets get into the mouths or noses of others, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Maryland health officials recommend hand washing as a way to protect against the spread of viruses in general, including influenza and the new coronavirus.

People should also keep their hands away from their eyes and mouth; stay home when sick; and cough or sneeze into a tissue.

Visit the Maryland Department of Health's coronavirus page or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's coronavirus disease situation summary for additional information.

Watch Monday's news conference with Hogan.

See Also:

• 6th MD Coronavirus Case Is In PG County
• Passengers On Cruise Ship Hit By Coronavirus Headed To Georgia
• 2 New Coronavirus Cases In Maryland: Governor Hogan
• Coronavirus Exposure Possible At National Harbor Conference
• 3 Have New Coronavirus; MD Governor Declares State Of Emergency
• MD Coronavirus Patients Were At 2 Public Events, Hogan Concerned
• Coronavirus Testing Costs Waived In Maryland