The number of coronavirus cases in Maryland rose to 580 Thursday morning, up from 423 from Wednesday, according to the State Department of Health. Of those, Montgomery County had 164.
Gov. Larry Hogan write in a statement that the increase of 157 reported cases represented the largest one-day rise to date.
“We are only at the beginning of this crisis, in our state, in the National Capital Region, and in America. As I have repeatedly stressed, we should continue to expect the number of cases to dramatically and rapidly rise,” he wrote.
One week ago, there were 107 cases of coronavirus in Maryland and 33 in Montgomery County.
Montgomery County has the largest share of Maryland’s total of coronavirus cases. Prince George is the next highest with 101 cases.
There are now coronavirus cases reported in every Maryland jurisdiction except Dorchester and Allegany counties. On Wednesday, Gov. Larry Hogan ordered that schools across the state remain closed through April 24.
The health department said Thursday that 132 people have been hospitalized across the state and 23 have been “released from isolation.”
Montgomery County’s cases announced in the past week have included a staff member at Whetstone Elementary School in Gaithersburg, a Montgomery College student and a staff member, and a county police officer.
Additionally, a Montgomery County woman in her 40s who had an underlying health condition was one of four people who has died from coronavirus across the state.
As more testing is done and becomes available, the number of confirmed cases is expected to increase, health and government officials have said.
