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COVID Blog: Maryland shatters previous record with 3,792 new cases

In Virginia, a quarter of a million people have now contracted the coronavirus. All across the DMV, COVID-19 test positivity continues rising.

WASHINGTON — It’s Friday, December 4, and as of today more than a quarter of a million Virginians have contracted the coronavirus.

In Maryland, the state reported a new all-time high on Friday of 3,792 cases in a single day – 30% more than its previous record.

And in D.C., the city set a new all-time high coronavirus rate on Friday of 29 cases per 100,000 people.

A bad day all around, you might say.

In case you’re in a hurry and just looking for the numbers, here’s how things look today:

  • D.C. reported 316 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday and 1 new death. The city’s case rate per 100,000 residents is now 29.04 – a new record high. The previous high was 27.56, set on May 5 during the peak of the first wave.
  • Maryland reported 3,792 cases of the coronavirus on Friday – blowing past its previous all-time high by 882 cases.
  • Virginia reported 2,877 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday and 13 new deaths. As of Friday, more than a quarter million Virginians have now contracted the coronavirus. Of those, more than 4,100 have died.

How are things in the DMV?

The first part of this blog was bad news and, frankly, the second half isn’t going to be much sunnier, so I feel it incumbent upon me to point out at least some positive things that happened this week. Look no further than the reporting some of my colleagues have been doing in Maryland, where, despite an ongoing surge in cases, people are answering the call to help their neighbors:

On to the rest of the blog.

In D.C., the percentage of hospitalizations for COVID-19 has been steadily increasing over the past month. On Nov. 2, the city reported 4.8% of hospital patients had the coronavirus. As of Dec. 2, that number had risen to 8.2%. DC Health also estimates that 86% of the city’s hospital beds are currently in use.

On the testing front, the news in Maryland is mixed. On Friday, the state reported an all-time high of 55,939 coronavirus tests. But those tests are also now coming back at an average percent positivity of 8% – they’re highest rate since June. That means the virus is continuing to surge faster than the state’s testing capacity can keep up.

As of Dec. 1, the most recent date available, Virginia as averaging a 9.8% positivity rate for its coronavirus tests. That’s just a hair shy of the 10% goalpost the Centers for Disease Control recommended for states to enter Phase 3. The commonwealth began Phase 3 of its reopening plan on July 1. At the time, its average percent positivity was 6.1%.

I hate to end the week on a note like that, so instead, here’s our latest coverage looking ahead toward vaccines become available:

   

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