State reports 743 new COVID-19 cases
12 new deaths the highest daily count since August
Maryland reported 743 new coronavirus cases Thursday and 12 new deaths tied to COVID-19, the highest number of reported deaths in a day since late August.
Cases are rising across the country, with 34 states seeing weekly increases in cases as of Wednesday, according to the Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus resource center.
While Hopkins considers Maryland to be level over the past week, the state’s 14-day average of newly reported cases has grown from a recent low of 488 Sept. 30 to 611 as of Thursday. Research has suggested that colder fall and winter temperatures could allow the virus to spread more freely.
There were 458 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 Thursday, down from 463 Wednesday. While hospitalizations have increased from the Sept. 20 low since March of 281 patients, the total remains far below late April’s peak of more than 1,700 people hospitalized, according to The Baltimore Sun’s coronavirus data.
Out of those hospitalized, 125 required intensive care, six fewer than Wednesday. Maryland has now seen 10 straight days of ICU hospitalizations over 100 after staying below that figure for most of September and the beginning of October.
Thursday’s data brought Maryland to a total of 137,979 confirmed virus cases and 3,924 deaths since the pandemic took hold in the state in March. Maryland has recorded the 15th-most deaths per capita and the 29th-most cases per capita among states, according to Hopkins’ data.
Thursday was just the sixth day Maryland has reported 10 or more deaths since Aug. 28. Deaths are an indicator that may lag behind cases, as people may die weeks after first testing positive. They are not necessarily reported on the day they occur.
Newly reported deaths are well below what the state saw in the spring when the two-week average peaked at 52 deaths per day in early May.
All of those who were reported to have died from the virus Thursday were 60 or older, including six people in their 80s. The virus has disproportionately killed Marylanders age 60 or above, who have represented nearly 87% of deaths thus far.
But younger Marylanders are still being affected by the virus in large numbers. Marylanders in their 20s, 30s and 40s made up 53% of new cases reported Thursday, while Marylanders 60 or above represented just 16% of new cases. People 19 and younger also represented about 16% of Thursday’s caseload.
Prince George’s County, which had the highest per capita case rate in the state as of Wednesday, made up the largest share of new cases at just over 20%. Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Montgomery counties combined for around 50% of new cases.
Black and Latino people have been hit disproportionately hard by the virus in Maryland and across the nation. Black and Latino Marylanders make up less than half the state’s population but close to 62% of cases in which race was known.
Maryland’s seven-day positivity rate, which measures the percent at which tests return positive over a week, was 3.1% Thursday, down slightly from 3.11% Wednesday. The state’s rolling positivity rate has crept up since being as low as 2.51% in late September, according to The Sun’s data.
Hopkins, whose data provider changed its positivity rate calculation Friday, reported Maryland’s positivity rate to be 2.37% as of Wednesday, essentially level from Tuesday. Hopkins now uses all viral tests performed in its calculation as opposed to the number of people tested as it did in its previous method, which has lowered its rate. The state calculates its positivity rate by using the number of tests.