For the second day in a row, Maryland officials reported an uptick in the number of people hospitalized with the coronavirus even as the number of infections continued a downward trend.
Gov. Larry Hogan’s office has been closely tracking hospitalizations as it determines the next steps in Maryland’s reopening plan. After tracking downward for much of May, hospitalizations rose by 36 Tuesday and 23 Wednesday, climbing to 1,338. Cases requiring intensive care remained flat at 520.
There were 102 new hospitalizations reported Wednesday, bringing the total of patients who have ever been hospitalized during the outbreak to 8,281. The state reported a total of 3,401 been released from isolation.
Even with increase in hospitalizations, Hogan relaxed more restrictions Wednesday, allowing outdoor dining at restaurants, the return of youth sports and camps, and the reopening of pools and drive-in movies.
There were 736 new cases of the coronavirus confirmed Wednesday, bringing the state to 48,423 infections of COVID-19, the disease associated with the virus. Combined with Tuesday’s 535 new cases, Wednesday’s count is the lowest two-day increase of infections since April 21 and 22.
Another 53 deaths were reported, though fatalities are not always reported on the day they happen; 14 of the 53 victims reported Wednesday died before this week, according to state data. The additional tally of victims brings the virus’ death toll in Maryland to 2,270, not including another 122 deaths linked to the virus but not confirmed by laboratory tests.
The state also provided its weekly update Wednesday on the virus’ impact on nursing homes and similar long-term care facilities. Nearly a fifth of the state’s coronavirus infections have been in the residents and staff of such facilities, with residents accounting for 1,276 deaths, 56% of Maryland’s confirmed toll. Fourteen staffers have died of COVID-19.
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In four of Maryland’s top seven jurisdictions by total infections, more than a fifth of the cases stem from nursing homes, with more than 30% of Baltimore County’s cases traced to such facilities.
In Maryland, 15% of the confirmed infections in those 60 or older have ended in death. For those under 60 years old, the death rate is less than 1%.
Wednesday marked the sixth time in the past eight days that, of the test results the state reported, the rate of positivity was below 12%. However, the other two days in that span have seen rates of nearly 25%.
About 16.1% of the more than 300,000 tests results Maryland has reported have come back positive, among the highest rates in the country.
The rates of infection among Maryland’s African American, Hispanic and Latino populations remained in line with recent days. Those who are black, 30% of the state’s overall population, account for 36% of Maryland’s infections and 43% of its deaths from the virus, while 30% of Maryland’s infections are in its Hispanic population, a group whose stake in the overall population is a third of that size.
The 21224 ZIP code that includes Baltimore’s Canton and Highlandtown neighborhoods continues to have the fifth most infections of any ZIP code in Maryland. The rest of the top 10 ZIP codes by total cases are in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, the jurisdictions with the most cases overall.