Montgomery County’s total number of confirmed coronavirus cases rose to 388 on Tuesday, an increase of 47 cases from Monday, according to state data.
Statewide, there were 1,660 cases, an increase of 247 from a day earlier, according to the Maryland Department of Health.
One week ago, there were 349 cases statewide, and 107 in Montgomery County.
Eighteen people have died, up from 15 as of Monday. Additional information about the three new deaths was not immediately available.
State and local officials have said they expect the number of confirmed cases to continue to rise “dramatically” as more testing is done.
The first three cases of COVID-19 were announced on March 5. All were in Montgomery County.
Fifty-three patients who tested positive in Maryland have recovered and have been released from isolation, according to the Maryland Department of Health. Nearly 15,000 people have been tested with negative results.
About one-third of the cases statewide have been in people younger than 40, including six cases in people younger than 10, according to state data.
Montgomery County, the state’s most populous, continues to have the highest total of confirmed cases, followed by Prince George’s County with 341 and Baltimore County with 227.
Symptoms of the coronavirus can include fever, coughing and shortness of breath, the Department of Health says. It can be spread through person-to-person contact, touching surfaces and coughing and sneezing.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
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For other Bethesda Beat coverage of the coronavirus, click here.
To see a timeline of major coronavirus developments in Maryland and Montgomery County, click here.
