Coronavirus In Maryland: Hospitalizations Down, Lowest Number Of Deaths Reported Since March 28, State Says

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) — Maryland adds 503 new cases overnight into Monday and two more people have died- the lowest number of cases in five weeks and deaths since March.

Hospitalizations went down to 435 cases with 329 in acute care and 106 in ICUs.

Maryland became the 19th state in the country to top 100,000 coronavirus cases as of Sunday, data shows.

Governor Larry Hogan said Monday the statewide positivity rate has reached an all-time low-- now at 3.27 percent.

He added the state is reporting its lowest number of single-day deaths since March 28.

"Thanks to our early and aggressive actions and the continued vigilance of the people of Maryland, all of our key health metrics continue to steadily decline and we are doing much better than most of the rest of the country," said Governor Hogan. "I want to thank the people of our state for helping us keep Maryland safely open for business by practicing physical distancing, wearing masks, and avoiding travel to hotspots."

The state has administered a total of 1,645,642 tests, with a total of 1,056,897 testing negative.

>WJZ has a new news app! Download it now!<<

CORONAVIRUS RESOURCES: 

• Coronavirus Resources: How To Get Help In Maryland
• TIMELINE: Coronavirus In Maryland, Tracking The Spread
• Latest coronavirus stories from WJZ
• Latest CDC Guidelines

Maryland is the 19th most populous state, and the 19th state on Sunday to pass 100,000 cases.

State officials are praising drops in daily deaths and hospitalizations.

It took just over five months for Maryland to reach this milestone.

The top five hardest-hit ZIP codes Monday remain in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, where PolicyLab Director David Rubin projects a hotspot in the next few weeks.

"It's when we let down our guard and start to expand our bubbles, maybe not wear our masks as vigilantly, take a little bit of chances," he said. "It's when we start doing that that we get in trouble because this virus knows how to propagate when people crowd together and they're not cautious."

Key metrics tracked closely by state officials all shot down a bit Monday, and the state's positivity rate is at an all-time low of 3.27 percent, although it is at odds with Johns Hopkins' calculation more than a point higher at 4.46 percent.

"As we plan for the next pandemic, I think there are things we're going to want to do differently. I think clearly our data collection," Dr. Rubin said. 

Dr. Rubin said public policy experts never rely on one number, but rather where it's headed, and it's been tracking down in Maryland.

"As long as states are consistently doing the wrong thing, you can still see the trend," Dr. Rubin said. 

Gov. Hogan credits the downward trend to aggressive actions and continued vigilance.

University of Maryland officials and students on Monday urged others to continue wearing masks.

Health department officials announced the state will give away masks at an Ocean City Park & Ride this Wednesday- where cases in Worcester County have doubled in the past month.

Here are the numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths by county (probable deaths are listed with an asterisk):

By County

By Age Range and Gender

By Race and Ethnicity

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

In:
• Maryland