MD Coronavirus Hospital Patients, Positivity Rate Inch Upward

MARYLAND — After Maryland saw its lowest day-to-day increase in fatalities from the coronavirus since March, the number is ticking up. In the past day, state health officials report 19 people died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. That is a jump from Monday, when the Maryland Department of Health reported three COVID-19 deaths.

Other numbers officials are tracking to keep tabs on the virus have also seen slight increases.

In the past day, 492 people have tested positive for the virus in Maryland, officials said Tuesday, for a total of 70,396 confirmed cases statewide overall since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous day saw an increase of 272 new cases.

More than 220 testing sites statewide are administering tests for COVID-19.

The positivity rate also went up slightly, from 4.51 percent Monday to 4.53 percent Tuesday; hospitalizations increased by one; and coronavirus-positive intensive care unit patients increased by three.

Coronavirus-related hospitalizations are relatively low — on June 6, there were 1,003 people hospitalized with the virus in Maryland, data shows, compared with 404 as of Tuesday.

Still, a doctor at the Sinai Hospital emergency room told WJZ Monday: "The ones that are coming in are very sick."

While there is no treatment for the virus, some good news came from the federal government Tuesday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services approved a $1.6 billion contract with Novavax of Gaithersburg to manufacture 100 million doses of a possible COVID-19 vaccine.

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Despite the increase in coronavirus cases from Monday to Tuesday, Maryland remains one of 10 states that is seeing a leveling off or declining rate of new cases and among four — including Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island — seeing at least a 10 percent decline in the rate of new cases, Forbes reported recently.

Coronavirus in Maryland: A Snapshot

Here is a look at Maryland's coronavirus numbers as of Tuesday, July 7:

Maryland Coronavirus Hospitalizations And Deaths

Maryland Coronavirus Cases By Jurisdiction

Maryland Coronavirus Cases By Age And Gender

Maryland Coronavirus Cases By Race And Ethnicity

See Also:

• Coronavirus Deaths Slow To Lowest Rate Since March: Governor

• Elkridge Man Spends 31 Days In Hospital Battling Coronavirus

• MoCo Sees Smallest Daily Increase In COVID-19 Cases Since March

This article originally appeared on the Baltimore Patch