MD Sets COVID-19 Testing Record; Hogan's Request To Trump Admin

MARYLAND — As coronavirus testing expands, Maryland hit a new milestone.

On Friday, Gov. Larry Hogan said the state received a record number of test results in the last 24 hours, with 24,171.

"Maryland continues making significant progress to expand testing statewide: a new record of 24,171 tests were reported in the past 24 hours," the Republican governor tweeted.

Statewide, 896,990 coronavirus tests have been conducted to date — an increase of more than 24,150 from the previous day.

The seven-day average positivity rate for tests has dropped to 4.43 percent — down nearly 84 percent from its peak on April 17, according to state data. The daily rate of positive cases is 3.43 percent.

As of Friday, 76,371 people have tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. That's an increase of 707 confirmed cases overnight.

Meanwhile, the virus has killed 12 more people, pushing the state's death toll to 3,227.

The fatality count does not include the 132 others whose deaths were linked to the virus, but never confirmed by a lab test. They are considered "probable deaths" — and will not be added to the official total until the cause of death can be confirmed.

Across Maryland, 434 people are currently hospitalized. Of those, 128 are in intensive care.

On Friday, the National Governors Association — which Hogan chairs — urged the Trump administration to delay changes to hospital reporting requirements for 30 days.

The changes, announced Monday, mean hospitals would stop reporting data — like the number of admitted COVID-19 patients, available hospital beds, and ventilators — to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since day one of the pandemic, the CDC has been receiving these daily reports from hospitals across the country.

The administration, which implemented these changes on Wednesday, said the data would instead go to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

"The administration has stated that they plan to utilize this data to better allocate supplies and drugs to states," Hogan said. "To ensure the accurate reporting of this data, governors are requesting a 30-day delay of these new requirements, in order for hospitals to learn a new system, as they continue to deal with this pandemic. In addition, governors urge the administration to make this information publicly available."

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