As COVID-19 continues to spike, Montgomery County’s seven-day case average hit 29.7 per 100,000, as of Sunday.
At that level, the rate is considered to present a “very high” risk of transmission, or spread, on the county’s data dashboard, which tracks certain metrics and conditions of the pandemic.
It’s the second highest case average the county has experienced since the beginning of the pandemic. The highest case average was reported on Friday, at 29.8 cases per 100,000.
The county’s rate has shot up since it occasionally peaked at around 10 cases per 100,000 between August and late October.
But on Oct. 26, it reached a seven-day average of 11.1 cases per 100,000 and continued rising.
Other county metrics considered to be in the “very high” category are the percent change in cases per 100,000 residents in the last seven days — at 32.8% — and COVID-19-related hospital bed utilization, at 16.2%.
The county’s test positivity rate is at “moderate risk,” with a 14-day average of 5.1%.
Overall hospital bed utilization and ICU (intensive care unit) utilization remain at “low risk” at 75.2% and 77.6%, respectively.
On Monday morning, the county had 213 new cases reported — a 0.7% increase — since Sunday morning, bringing its total to 31,389.
The Maryland Department of Health reported one additional confirmed death from the virus in the county. The county’s confirmed death roll is now at 890.
There have been 42 “probable” deaths from the virus in the county. “Probable” deaths have the coronavirus listed as the cause of death on certificates but have not been confirmed by laboratory tests yet.
Statewide, cases increased by 1,658 cases — or 0.9% — overnight. The state has now had 183,797 cases of COVID-19.
There have been 4,293 confirmed deaths in the state.
