County Sees Second Triple-Digit Rise In Cases In Less Than A Week

BETHESDA, MD — Montgomery County has recorded a triple-digit increase in COVID-19 cases for the second time this week. That's three times higher than the permissible limit county health officials set to move on to phase three.

Tuesday's addition — of 121 known infections — pushes the countywide total to 23,817.

The county's top health officer, Dr. Travis Gayles, says the county will not enter phase three until officials consistently see low and medium levels of transmission — or 10 to 35 cases a day. Over the last three months, daily COVID-19 cases have hovered between 47 and 171.

On Tuesday, one more person died of COVID-19 in Montgomery County, bringing the death toll to 816.

Another 40 people, health officials believe, had the disease but died before ever getting tested. "Probable deaths" aren't included in the official fatality count until they are confirmed by a laboratory test.

Montgomery County — Maryland's most populous jurisdiction — has the highest number of deaths in the state, along with Prince George's County. It also has the second highest number of confirmed cases, after Prince George's County, which has 30,878, according to the latest figures.

Across Maryland, there have been 132,343 cases, 3,868 confirmed deaths, and 144 "probable deaths." Of the 402 people that are currently hospitalized, 102 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).