COVID Latest: All 24 Maryland Jurisdictions In Red Zone For COVID Case Rates, Gov. Hogan Says
ANNAPOLIS (WJZ) — Addressing the surge in cases in Maryland since Thanksgiving, Gov. Larry Hogan said Wednesday that all 23 counties and Baltimore City are in the "red zone."
"It is clear that we are experiencing a post-Thanksgiving surge and that the worst days of the pandemic are still ahead of us," he said.
Maryland has had 20 straight days with more than 2,000 new cases. All jurisdictions are in the red zone for the first time since the pandemic began.
Eighty-eight percent of staffed acute beds are occupied and 87% of ICU beds are occupied. The governor said 143 surge beds are in use.
Gov. Hogan did not, however, announce any new restrictions, resisting the call from local leaders to add on statewide restrictions. Instead choosing to focus on new efforts to help Marylanders with the economic crisis from the pandemic.
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On local plans to close outdoor dining in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County, he said, "it doesn't compute," with most of the advice he's received.
"I don't know where that decision came from," he said.
Baltimore City's new mayor Brandon Scott has imposed a series of tighter restrictions on gatherings, businesses and food establishment capacities in an effort to curb the rising community transmission in the city, with Anne Arundel County following suit on Thursday.
Hospitalizations also reached an all-time pandemic high Wednesday morning and then again Thursday morning, with over 1,700 Marylanders hospitalized.
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
To help one vulnerable population, the state is committing $94 million in grants and investments to help treat Marylanders with diabetes during the coronavirus pandemic.
More than one out of every three Marylanders either has diabetes or pre-diabetes, which puts them at a much greater risk for the virus, Gov. Hogan said.
He said the number one comorbidity for people who fall seriously ill with the coronavirus.
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.
