Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Exceed 500 In Montgomery County

BETHESDA, MD — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Montgomery County has now passed the 500 mark, according to Maryland health officials.

As of Friday, the state's most populous jurisdiction has 566 confirmed infections and nine fatalities. Less than 24 hours earlier, the county had 498 cases and six deaths.

In Maryland, 2,758 people have tested positive for COVID-19. The state's death toll now stands at 42.

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The first three coronavirus case in Maryland were reported on March 5. The patients, all from Montgomery County, contracted the virus while on an Egyptian cruise on the Nile River. They have only been identified as a woman in her 50s and a married couple in their 70s.

"Over the last four weeks, those numbers have increased," Dr. Travis Gayles, the county's top health official, said at a virtual COVID-19 briefing on Thursday. "What has not changed, though, is what we have talked about consistently from that very first set of interviews and press conference four weeks ago to now. We talked about the need to practice good hand hygiene, socially distance — because that has moved forward in terms of policies — and make sure that the folks understand that the majority of cases have had a mild to moderate symptom forecast."

Compared to the state's other jurisdictions, Montgomery County has the highest number of confirmed infections. While a majority of residents have experienced mild to moderate symptoms, the county is urging the community to take this virus seriously. That means washing your hands frequently for at least 20 seconds, avoiding large gatherings, and staying at least six feet away from others.

"If we do things right, we will be able to minimize a very bad situation," County Executive Marc Elrich said. "And if don't do things right, then we only have to look around us and the rest of the world to see what happens when we ignore the warnings and ignore the advice of people who are trying to keep us safe."

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