BALTIMORE — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Maryland has more than doubled in the past three days, and 774 people have tested positive for COVID-19 across the state as of Friday, Gov. Larry Hogan announced.
The number of confirmed cases had already ballooned to 580 Thursday from 157 the day before, and the total number of confirmed cases in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia has now exceeded 1,500, the Republican governor said in a statement.
Five people have died from the disease in Maryland, 173 have been hospitalized, and 25 have been released from isolation, according to state officials. More than half a million people worldwide have been infected by COVID-19, and nearly 25,000 have died, according to Johns Hopkins.
“Cases in the National Capital Region have more than quadrupled over the last week alone,” Hogan said in the statement. “There is no timetable and no model that can tell us exactly how long this will last or how bad this is going to get.”
The latest increase followed the most recent measure to contain the spread: an order by Maryland schools Superintendent Karen Salmon Thursday forcing the closure of most child care centers in Maryland by the end of the day Friday.
President Donald Trump released more funding to Maryland on Thursday night after declaring the coronavirus a major disaster in the state, following requests from Hogan and other state officials.
Hogan said he would continue to press the federal government for additional resources, “including a Title 32 designation for Maryland and all the states to fund National Guard missions.”
“I cannot stress this enough: Marylanders need to stay in place at home to help slow the spread of this deadly virus,” Hogan said. “Our state has already faced and overcome daunting challenges before, and we will do so again.”
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