Editor’s note: This article is based on data from Aug. 14-19.
Maryland health officials on Thursday confirmed 1,060 new coronavirus cases, the largest daily increase since April 24 when the state recorded 1,196 new cases.
On Aug. 12, the state confirmed more than 1,000 new daily COVID-19 cases for the first time since April 28.
Since last week, officials have reported multiple other daily case totals above 1,000, including 1,016 cases Saturday, 1,012 cases Wednesday, and 1,060 on Thursday.
Maryland has confirmed a total of 482,581 coronavirus cases to date, while 3,850,912 people have tested negative, as of Thursday morning.
Maryland’s seven-day average COVID-19 positivity rate surpassed 5% on Thursday, reaching 5.04%.
The number of Marylanders hospitalized with COVID-19 rose to 643 on Thursday, including 488 in acute care and 155 in intensive care.
Maryland has confirmed the coronavirus-related deaths of 9,695 Marylanders to date. There are also 221 people whose deaths are suspected to be related to the virus.
Of Marylanders age 18 or older, 79.6% have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Meanwhile, about 60.4% of Marylanders of all ages who are eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccine are fully vaccinated.
As of Thursday morning, all 24 of Maryland’s local jurisdictions are experiencing “substantial” or “high” levels of coronavirus transmission.
Carroll County, the last holdout, rose from moderate to substantial transmission levels this week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all people, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask indoors in areas of the country with substantial or high transmission levels.
Although some local jurisdictions, including Baltimore City, have adopted local indoor mask mandates, Gov. Larry Hogan has held off on reinstating a statewide mask mandate.
