Still In Phase 2, Montgomery Co. Sees Triple-Digit Rise In Cases

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

Friday's addition — of 110 known infections — pushes the countywide total to 23,403.

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 Friday, two more people died of COVID-19 in Montgomery County, bringing the death toll of 814.

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. It also has the second highest number of confirmed cases, after Prince George's County, which has 30,502, according to the latest figures.

Across Maryland, there have been 130,159 cases, 3,845 confirmed deaths, and 145 "probable deaths." Of the 391 people that are currently hospitalized, 96 are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).