Coronavirus Cases Up 22.8% Since Last Week In Montgomery County

SILVER SPRING, MD — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Montgomery County increased by 22.8 percent, or by 1,443 cases, since May 8, bringing its total to 7,759.

The county's death toll from the disease now stands at 411, the Maryland Health Department reported on Friday. A day earlier, it was 397. On May 8, it stood at 324.

The state, which now publishes the number of "probable deaths," says another 38 people may have died from COVID-19, but were never tested. Health officials will not add those deaths to the official tally until a laboratory can confirm the virus was the cause of death.

Based on the latest figures, Montgomery County continues to have the highest number of deaths. It also has the second highest number of confirmed cases, after Prince George's County, which has 10,791.

Across the state, there are now 36,986 confirmed cases and 1,792 deaths. Another 119, officials say, may have had COVID-19 but died before ever getting tested.

As of Friday, 1,496 people have been hospitalized with the new coronavirus. Of those, 598 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

At 5 p.m. on Friday, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan's stay-at-home order will be lifted. Hogan said he made the decision after seeing a 14-day downward trend in hospitalizations and deaths.

The Republican governor acknowledged that some parts of the state, like Montgomery County, were not ready to reopen. That's why he's letting local jurisdictions decide when they want to lift coronavirus restrictions.

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has already made up his mind, saying he won't reopen the county until he sees:

• A consistent decline over a 14-day period in new cases as more testing is conducted
• A sustained decrease in the number of daily deaths
• A downward trend in hospitalizations rates (and ICU beds in use)
• A sustained decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients going to the ER

"Our situation is improving. We are scaling up our testing capabilities and will be able to test more people in more settings," Elrich said. "We are also increasing contact tracing. These efforts will help make our community safer. But we do not meet the measures set out by federal and state guidelines."

Elrich said the county shouldn't be fixated on an opening date, since the numbers can still spike.

"You can't set a date and have that date be the most important thing. The most important thing is what happens to the caseloads ... health needs to rule this decision," he said. "We're going to continue to emphasize the importance of physical distancing between people, wearing face coverings, and sheltering in place."

Cases By County

Friday's case count by jurisdiction can be found below. Montgomery County is outlined in bright blue.

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