Are we there yet? County health official describes conditions of endemic

120,266 cases, 1,617 deaths in county since March 2020

The first COVID-19 cases were detected in Montgomery County on March 7, 2020. Two years later, that number has grown significantly, with 120,266 cases and 1,617 deaths as of Friday, March 4, according to the Montgomery County COVID-19 Data HUB.

“So as we are emerging from the omicron surge, the natural question is ‘Is COVID endemic now? Are we in endemic phase?’ And the answer is we are transitioning toward endemic phase, but we’re not quite there yet,” said Christina Miller, administrator of the Montgomery County Office of Public Health in a presentation to county commissioners Thursday.

Sixty-three cases and three deaths were in a two-day period, from Tuesday to Wednesday, March 1-2, in Montgomery County, according to the county’s COVID-19 online resources database. Of those, five cases came from long term care facilities, and two others came from the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in Eagleville.

Miller said 574 cases were recorded over a seven-day period for the week ending on Feb. 25.

“And for comparison purposes, about six weeks ago, we were seeing that number or more on a daily basis in terms of new cases,” she said.

Miller said in her presentation that Montgomery County had an incidence rate of 69.1 cases per 100,000 residents.

She added that “hospitalizations continue to decline.” As

Christina Miller