As Maryland’s coronavirus test total creeps closer to 500,000 since the start of the pandemic, its positive test rate continues to drop.
The state notes that the positive test rate has dropped close to 74% since April 17, when the rate of positive tests peaked at over 25%, according to a release Friday from Gov. Larry Hogan’s office.
Currently, just under 7% of coronavirus tests turn up positive in Maryland.
On April 17, the state carried out over 3,700 tests, and almost 27% were positive.
REOPENING PLANS AROUND THE REGION
- Northam: Northern Va. to enter Phase Two on Friday
- Most of Md. to resume indoor dining with restrictions on Friday
- Prince George’s Co. to enter Phase Two on Monday
- Elrich: Montgomery Co. likely to enter Phase Two ‘sometime next week’
- DC not ready for Phase Two yet
On Thursday, there were almost 10,000 tests, and only 6.93% came back positive.
However, one of the counties closest to D.C. — Prince George’s County — continues to lead the state with a positivity rate greater than 10%. Montgomery County is third at nearly 9%.
Other metrics for Maryland are trending in the right direction, with hospitalizations from COVID-19 dropping, reaching their lowest levels since the second week of April. On Friday, there were about 800 beds in use for COVID-19 patients, and the last time the number was that low was April 8.
Despite the positive trends, Hogan emphasized that the virus is still active, and residents need to remain “vigilant” as businesses reopen and people begin to spend more hours in public.
“Our health and economic recovery depends on all of us continuing to exercise personal responsibility in order to keep ourselves, our family members, our neighbors and our co-workers safe,” Hogan said.
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- Prince George’s County to enter Phase Two on Monday
- DC not ready for Phase Two despite coronavirus progress; contact tracing ramps up
- Long list of precautions, but Northern Va. day care centers to open Friday
Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.
