The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Montgomery County more than tripled over the past week.
The county had 447 cases as of Wednesday morning, while the state total rose to 1,985.
One week ago, there were 127 confirmed cases of COVID-19, or the coronavirus, in Montgomery County and 423 in Maryland.
On Monday, there were 341 cases in Montgomery and 1,413 statewide.
Thirty-one people have died from COVID-19, up from 18 on Tuesday. Additional information about the new fatalities was not immediately available.
One previously reported death was a Montgomery County resident — a woman in her 40s with underlying health conditions, according to state health officials.
More than 500 people in Maryland have been hospitalized with the disease.
Sixty-nine patients who tested positive have recovered and have been released from isolation, according to the Maryland Department of Health. More than 17,200 people have been tested with negative results.
Government and health officials have emphasized that they expect the number of positive to keep increasing as more testing is done.
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.
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.
