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Coronavirus Latest: 2,331 COVID-19 Cases In Maryland, 36 Deaths

/ CBS Baltimore

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland has topped 2,000 cases of the coronavirus, with 2,331 cases confirmed as of Thursday morning.

Thirty-six people have died. 582 people have been hospitalized for the virus in the state, and 81 people have been released from isolation.

LATEST: Coronavirus Numbers in Maryland

Of the cases, 18,890 people have tested negative for the virus. Allegany and Dorchester Counties reported their first case Wednesday. Now all 24 jurisdictions in Maryland have a case of coronavirus.

CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE: 

Gov. Larry Hogan said most Marylanders are following his stay-at-home order as the state's cases continue to rise.

In these trying times, there is hope. Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson said a coronavirus patient who was once on a ventilator has now been discharged.

"We're pausing for a moment of celebration," said GBMC's President and CEO John Chessare in a video statement.

Maryland has only gotten a fraction of the supplies it has requested from the federal government.

Coronavirus Response: Maryland, Surrounding States Have Only Gotten A Fraction Of Requested Medical Supplies, Oversight Committee Says

COVID-19 is also spreading in Maryland's prison system. An officer at the Metropolitan Transition Center in Baltimore tested positive and that facility is under quarantine.

This week, WJZ spoke to a correctional officer in the Jessup area who said protective gear is difficult to find.

"You're like in a petri dish, and you're just waiting to get it," said the officer, who asked WJZ to keep their identity confidential. "We'll take care of the inmates. They need to take care of this coronavirus and keeping their people protected."

There have been cases reported at several nursing homes and longterm care facilities statewide. Just days after at least five people tested positive at FutureCare Cold Spring, FutureCare confirmed six people tested positive at their Good Samaritan location in northeast Baltimore.

On the economic front, new unemployment claims are record breaking—almost doubling from the week before to more than 84,000. The highest number is in Baltimore County with more than 13,000.

 

Maryland Secretary of Labor Tiffany Robinson spoke to WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren on Skype.

"It is by far a record. It is beyond anything we saw in the crisis of 2008," Robinson said. "This is something we've never experienced before. I can tell you, we took more claims in the month of March this year than we took in all of 2019."

She urged patience for those filing and said she expects the number of claims to keep rising. "We're not out of the weeds yet."

The state has 400 workers handling unemployment claims and sees 2,000 claims in a typical week.

Coronavirus Latest: How To File For Unemployment In Maryland

The Department of Labor has extended hours and tried to stagger when people should file.

 

Here is a breakdown by county:

  • Allegany 1
  • Anne Arundel 206
  • Baltimore City 265
  • Baltimore County 353
  • Calvert 22
  • Caroline 4
  • Carroll 105
  • Cecil 20
  • Charles 69
  • Dorchester 1
  • Frederick 45
  • Garrett 3
  • Harford 37
  • Howard 152
  • Kent 5
  • Montgomery 498
  • Prince George's 473
  • Queen Anne's 8
  • St. Mary's 27
  • Somerset 4
  • Talbot 4
  • Washington 17
  • Wicomico 7
  • Worcester 5

Here's a breakdown of cases by age across the state:

  • 0-9 9
  • 10-19 46
  • 20-29 286
  • 30-39 410
  • 40-49 437
  • 50-59 471
  • 60-69 357
  • 70-79 217
  • 80+ 98

1,194 women have been diagnosed with the virus, as well as 1,137 men.

People between ages 50 and 59 are still the highest age group to contract the virus.

Thursday evening, Frederick County officials announced the number of positive cases in their county had jumped to 63. Twenty people have recovered from COVID-19 in the county, the health department said.

Health officials in Carroll County Thursday evening reported six residents have recovered from the virus. The number of positive cases in the county jumped by nine, including three more residents at Carroll Lutheran Village.

For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.

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