8 New Patients Being Tested For Coronavirus In Maryland On Tuesday
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Eight new patients are being tested for coronavirus in Maryland, the state health department said Wednesday.
Ten other patients have already tested negative, including a four recent cases Tuesday. A total of 21 people have been tested.
There's been a steady stream of testing since late January when the first person in the state tested negative. Towson University also had a scare when a TU professor was evaluated after coming in contact with a family member who was being tested, though it's not confirmed if that was in-state.
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Although no one in Maryland has tested positive, some residents are still concerned.
"Yes, I do think it's a big deal," Alyssa Ritenour, a Baltimore resident, said.
Maryland will also now be able to bypass the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and carry out its own tests. The Maryland Department of Health said that will speed things up.
"The goal for this is to make sure we are thoughtful about testing, that we look for people who potentially could have novel coronavirus and test them," Doctor Cliff Mitchell, of the Maryland Department of Health, said.
President Donald Trump toured the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, on Tuesday. It's the research epicenter on how to stop the virus.
"We've really done a good job by doing it and combating it so early," President Trump said. "We have the best people in the world, and I think we're getting a lot of credit for having made that early move."
The NIH director told Congress it could take well over a year before a vaccine is ready for the public.
State officials, local universities and the governor are all taking precautions.
Governor Larry Hogan said $10 million will be set aside for preparedness actions.
He met with other governors and Vice President Mike Pence in the Situation Room on Monday, who assured them they would be in the loop, with frequent meetings updating them on the spread.
Hogan also announced Tuesday that the state's public health laboratory has been cleared to test for the virus rather than the state having to send tests to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.
So far, nine people have died in Washington State from the coronavirus. Some of those victims were in a nursing home.
