Maryland’s ninth confirmed case of coronavirus disease is a Montgomery County woman who was on the same Egyptian cruise as five other Marylanders who have contracted the virus, Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday.
Hogan did not give any other identifying details about the woman other than she is in her 60s. She was not hospitalized and is in good condition, Hogan’s office said in a press release.
Five of Maryland’s nine cases of coronavirus disease, or COVID-19, are from Montgomery County. Three are from Prince George’s County and one is from Harford County.
Eight of the nine cases involve overseas trips. One case was from a trip to Massachusetts.
Maryland’s number of positive cases increased earlier Tuesday from six to eight, adding a Prince George’s County couple.
Maryland’s first three cases, all Montgomery County residents, were announced March 5.
Hogan gave multiple public coronavirus updates on Tuesday to keep up with new developments, such as plans by the University of Maryland to have students remain off campus for two weeks.
He said he expects the coronavirus outbreak to get worse before it gets better.
Hogan also convened an emergency meeting of his cabinet to talk about coronavirus details and had a separate meeting with representatives from nursing homes, assisted living communities and retirement communities.
Older residents, particularly at least 60 years old and with underlying health problems, are seen as more susceptible to coronavirus disease. Hogan has urged those people to avoid large crowds and to stay home when possible.
The state Department of Health has issued new guidance for facilities that serve older people. They include: restricting access to essential visits; screening visitors and keeping out people with respiratory symptoms or who might have been exposed to coronavirus; requiring people to wash their hands when they enter; and prohibiting all employees from international travel.
As of Wednesday night, there had been 94 negative coronavirus tests in Maryland, according to the state Department of Health.
Besides the positive cases, there have instances of possible exposure and monitoring.
One of the first three coronavirus patients in Montgomery County was found to have attended a public event at The Village at Rockville, a retirement community, on Feb. 28. An estimated 70 to 100 people were there.
The Village at Rockville issued a statement saying it was told by the state Department of Health that the risk of potential exposure at that event was low. Still, it was working with the state to monitor people who attended the event.
Subsequently, Joey Jones, the principal of Robert Frost Middle School, which is near The Village at Rockville, wrote in a letter to families that “members of the school community” who visited the retirement community following the Feb. 28 “are not at risk of contracting the virus.”
Hogan said Monday that six other Marylanders used the same cruise line as patients who have COVID-19, but they didn’t all travel at the same time. All six were self-quarantined, including two who had shown some coronavirus disease symptoms.
Another 12 Marylanders were among those who have been on a separate cruise ship docked on the West Coast after some passengers and crew came down with coronavirus disease, Hogan said. The 12 were not experiencing symptoms.
