Zero Coronavirus Deaths Reported In MD On Sunday, October 18

MARYLAND — Health officials said there were no deaths reported in the past day due to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

"For the second time this month, Maryland is reporting zero deaths over the past 24 hours," Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement Sunday.

The Maryland Department of Health also reported there were no deaths in the past day on Oct. 1.

It does not mean that nobody died from the virus in the last day; it just means it was not reported.

"The 24-hour change in deaths reported reflects the number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths reported in the last 24 hours," according to a statement from the Maryland Department of Health. "Some data on deaths may be unavailable due to the time lag between the death, typically reported by a hospital or other facility, and the submission of the complete death certificate. Death data are updated as more information is made available."

State data now shows there were seven confirmed deaths that occurred Oct. 1 and one death the day before, on Sept. 30.

The first deaths in Maryland from COVID-19 were reported March 18. Officials say 3,891 Marylanders have died from COVID-19 as of Sunday, Oct. 18 — exactly seven months later.

Prince George's County leads the state in coronavirus deaths with 821 as of Sunday, while Montgomery County is right behind with 820. Next is Baltimore County with 630 and Baltimore City with 479.

Deaths peaked on April 28 when there were 68 people who died from the virus, based on state health data.

Courtesy of Maryland Department of Health.
Courtesy of Maryland Department of Health.

Overall, the rate of deaths from COVID-19 has dropped off dramatically since the summer began.

In addition to the lack of deaths reported in the past day, the governor noted the state had seen a drop in the percentage of people testing positive for the virus.

More than 29,000 coronavirus test results were reported in the past day in Maryland, and the daily positivity rate was 2.25 percent, Hogan said.

"Our seven-day positivity rate remains stable at 3.14%," he added. "Zero counties are in the federally designated 'red zone.'"

The federally designated "red zone" includes states where there are more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents; the positivity rate is more than 10 percent; or there were more than two deaths per 100,000 residents in the last week, according to the Center for Public Integrity.

Based on the latest report released by the center, which covered data for the week ending Oct. 11, here is how Maryland stacked up:

  • Maryland is No. 44 among the states for coronavirus deaths per 100,000.

  • Maryland is No. 37 for new cases per 100,000.

  • Maryland is No. 36 for coronavirus positivity rates.

Here is the data about coronavirus in Maryland as of Sunday, Oct. 18:

Courtesy of Maryland Department of Health.
Courtesy of Maryland Department of Health.

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This article originally appeared on the Baltimore Patch