Montgomery County recorded 11,251 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday morning, an increase of 216, or about 2% from Friday.
The percentage growth of new local cases has been 3% or less for the past 10 days.
Data from the Maryland Department of Health show 565 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Montgomery County, up from 555 on Friday.
Another 40 deaths had been ruled as “probable,” meaning the virus is the suspected cause but it was not confirmed by a laboratory test.
Meanwhile, data released Friday shows the county continues to meet two of the nine benchmarks required to reopen the county. The county’s Department of Health data track three-day averages to determine trends. The metrics measure the number of days out of the last 14 where there was improvement in the nine benchmarks.
The criteria must at least show “substantial progress” to move forward with reopening, according to the county’s dashboard.
The two benchmarks the county reported meeting on Friday were the percentage of ventilators in use and the percentage of intensive care beds in use.
The county data posted Friday afternoon were:
● Number of new confirmed positive cases each day: 248 (three-day average); nine declining days out of the last 14
● Number of COVID-19 new deaths each day: eight (three-day average); seven declining days
● COVID-19 related hospitalizations: 344 (three-day average); nine declining days
● Number of COVID-19 related emergency room patients: nine (three-day average); six declining days
● COVID-19 related intensive-care unit hospitalizations: 124 (three-day average); six declining days
● Acute care bed utilization rate: 73% (three-day average); the county benchmark of 70% or less has been met for 1 of the last 14 days
● Intensive care unit bed utilization rate: 67% (three-day average); the county benchmark of 80% or less has been met for 14 of the last 14 days
● Percentage of ventilators in use: 58% (three-day average); the county benchmark of 70% or less has been met for 14 straight days
● Test positivity rate: 15% (three-day average); eight of 14 declining days.
The county also posted information about tests administered: 1,355 (three-day average). This information is not a benchmark the county is using to determine its readiness to reopen, but is included in the dashboard with the nine standards.
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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.
