The number of Montgomery County COVID-19 cases increased by 107 — or 0.5% — overnight, bringing its total to 21,574.
Dr. Travis Gayles, the county’s health officer, said at a media briefing on Wednesday that the county has been seeing a slight surge in cases over the last week.
He attributed the higher number of cases to people becoming more relaxed with wearing face coverings and physical distancing, particularly with large and family gatherings. Another factor could be that people were traveling for the Labor Day holiday, he said.
On Thursday morning, the Maryland Department of Health reported one new additional confirmed death from the virus in the county. The county’s death toll is now at 796.
There have been 40 “probable” deaths from the virus. “Probable” deaths have the coronavirus listed as the cause of death on certificates but have not been confirmed by laboratory tests yet.
Statewide, confirmed cases increased by 631 cases — or 0.5% — since Wednesday morning. There have been 118,519 known cases across the state.
The number of confirmed deaths from the virus increased to 3,717 in the state.
