ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan warned of a major surge in the coronavirus, and he provided an update on preparations during a news conference Thursday.
The Republican governor said Maryland is in a much better position than in the spring and that the state is better prepared than most states to “withstand this next surge.”
“However, I cannot stress strongly enough that we cannot afford to let our guard down,” Hogan said in a news release. “The weeks and months ahead will be difficult, and our collective actions will determine whether we can continue safely on the road to recovery and if we can keep Maryland open for business.”
Hogan said the state has built a long-term testing strategy and a robust contact tracing operation. Maryland’s contract tracing operation is nearly 1,400 tracers strong, and the state has kept this operation at full strength to find patterns and identify where and how the virus is spreading.
He also said Maryland has kept in place a hospital surge capacity plan of more than 6,000 beds and continues to keep alternate care sites open, including the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital. Emergency management officials have distributed more than 78 million units of personal protective equipment and has built up a 60-day supply of the most critical resources, Hogan said.
The state’s contact tracing operation continues to show that social gatherings are the most likely source of transmissions. The number one activity of those who have become infected with COVID-19 continues to be family gatherings, followed by house parties. Of all interviewed cases, 56% indicated that in the two weeks prior to contracting the virus they had traveled outside Maryland, worked outside the home, attended a gathering with at least 10 people, or visited a high-risk location.
Maryland’s statewide masking order remains in full effect. Under this order, all Marylanders over the age of 5 are required to wear face coverings in the public spaces of all businesses across the state. Face coverings are required in outdoor public areas, whenever it is not possible to maintain physical distancing.
Maryland has seen a rise in COVID-19 cases, along with other states. Maryland reported 1,198 new cases in a 24-hour period Thursday morning. It was the second straight day the state reported more than 1,000 cases. Maryland has had a total of 149,964 total reported cases. The state also reported 10 more deaths on Thursday for a total of 4,035. Maryland reported a total of 588 hospitalizations on Thursday.
New confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. have climbed to an all-time high. Cases and hospitalizations are setting records all around the country. Daily new confirmed coronavirus cases in the U.S. have surged 45% over the past two weeks, to a record 7-day average of 86,352, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Meanwhile, 18,383 Maryland residents filed for unemployment last week, the state’s labor department reported. That’s down from 19,946 in the previous week.
The labor department said it has processed nearly 95% of unemployment claims filed during the pandemic. The department said 637,596 have received benefits, or about 80%, and 117,358, or 14.7%, of claims have been denied for not meeting state or federal program requirements. The department said 41,322 claims are pending.
From March 9 to Oct. 31, more than $7.8 billion in state and federal benefits has been paid to claimants in Maryland.
