423 Dead As Coronavirus Cases Near 8,000 In Montgomery County

ROCKVILLE, MD — Montgomery County recorded 12 more coronavirus deaths and 299 new cases, bringing its death toll to 423 and the total number of cases to 7,988.

There are now a total of 38 "probable deaths" in the county. That means those people likely had COVID-19, but died without ever being tested.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and has since infected more than 4,564,000 people and killed more than 308,000 around the world, according to the latest figures from Johns Hopkins University.

Since Maryland reported its first three coronavirus cases on March 5, there have been 37,968 positive infections and 1,842 confirmed deaths. State health officials are now reporting 115 "probable deaths."

Here's how many cases each county has. Montgomery County is outlined in bright blue.

As of Saturday, 152,207 people have tested negative for COVID-19 and 2,806 have been released from isolation. There are currently 1,500 hospitalized coronavirus patients. Of that, 598 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

According to state health officials, the number of coronavirus hospital patients over the past two days is the lowest it has been since April 26.

Montgomery County has yet to release a breakdown of hospitalizations.

The county continues to have the highest number of deaths in the state. It also has the second highest number of confirmed cases, after Prince George's County, which has 11,031.

Health officials expect the numbers to increase as more testing becomes available.

In order to get a test, an individual must meet the coronavirus testing criteria as determined by a licensed health care provider.

During a virtual news briefing on Wednesday, Montgomery County Health Officer Dr. Travis Gayles acknowledged it was more difficult for people without insurance or a primary care provider to get tested.

"The reality is many people were still locked out of the system because they did not have access to a primary care provider," Gayles said. "We heard lots of stories where individuals who didn't have insurance or a primary care provider say, 'I showed up to an urgent care. The test was free, but I was being charged a couple hundreds dollar visit fee.'"

To make testing more accessible, the county has set up a hotline for residents who want to get tested for the disease, but don't have a primary care provider.

The number is 240-777-1755.

Gayles said that when patients call the hotline, the county's disease control unit will take down their information and a health care provider will call them back at a specific time. The provider will then ask them a series of questions to see if they meet the coronavirus testing criteria. The patients who do meet the criteria will be able to schedule a time to get tested.

Before the county can reopen, Gayles says the county needs to expand its testing capacity.

Approximately 3 percent of county residents have been tested for COVID-19, Gayles said. The goal is to test 5 percent of the population on a monthly basis.

Health officials have set up a number of testing sites across Montgomery County, including in Germantown, Wheaton, and White Oak.

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