Maryland officials reported 781 new coronavirus cases Friday and four new deaths associated with COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.
With Friday’s additions, Maryland has confirmed 134,329 cases and 3,887 deaths since state officials began tracking the spread of the virus in March. Through Thursday’s data, Maryland had the 29th most cases per capita and the 16th most deaths per capita in the U.S., according to the Johns Hopkins University’s coronavirus resource center.
Maryland officials reported a cumulative testing volume of just over 3 million Friday, up by more than 27,000 from Thursday. Officials also reported that nearly 11,000 additional people tested negative for the virus Friday.
The state’s seven-day positivity rate increased slightly from the previous day to 3.09% heading into the weekend.
Johns Hopkins, meanwhile, reported the state’s seven-day positivity rate to be 5.53%. Rather than determining positivity by using tests conducted — as state officials do — the university looks at the people tested, meaning individuals who are tested multiple times, regardless of their results, are counted only once in its data.
This difference is significant because the World Health Organization says governments should wait until their positivity rates are below 5% for 14 straight days before beginning to ease back virus-related restrictions.
According to state officials, Maryland has been under this threshold since July, but Johns Hopkins hasn’t reported a rate lower than that benchmark for weeks.
Meanwhile, two Maryland counties, Prince George’s and Somerset, have been reporting positivity rates higher than 5% since Wednesday. As of Friday, Prince George’s County was reporting a positivity rate of 5.19% and Somerset County was reporting a rate of 5.04%. Although Somerset has moved into Phase 3 of the reopening plan released by Gov. Larry Hogan, Prince George’s County remains in Phase 2.
Baltimore City’s positivity was at 2.39% Friday.
The number of people hospitalized from the virus’ effects increased Friday after a slight dip Thursday. Maryland reported 416 patients Friday, up by four from the previous day. According to state officials, 111 patients are currently being treated in intensive care units, up two from Thursday.