By Robert Sobus
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday that Maryland’s average rate of positive coronavirus tests have decreased for the eighth consecutive day.
The states average COVID-19 positive tests are at 2.3 percent over the last seven days. The average positive rate on Tuesday was 3.53 percent for Marylanders younger than 35 and 2.08 percent for Marylanders older than 35.
The decrease in average positive tests comes a little over six months after Maryland experienced its first positive COVID-19 patients. Hogan declared a state of emergency the same day.
While the state has experienced low COVID-19 positive tests, hospitals have seen an influx of patients suffering from coronavirus in recent days.
A patient of ExpressCare in Middle River says she is happy with the decrease in numbers.
“It’s good to see people are following orders to help slow the spread,” Essex resident Patricia Johnson said. “I don’t wish the virus on anyone and hope that I never have to deal with it.”
The World Health Organization advises state governors to see 14 consecutive days of positivity rates beneath 5 percent before easing restrictions.
“I miss going to concerts and spending time with friends,” Johnson said. “This whole year has been one big mess.”
Hogan visited Novavax, Inc., Warehouse Cinemas and Fredrick County schools in Montgomery and Fredrick Counties on Thursday highlighting the states COVID-19 recovery.
“When the COVID-19 crisis began, I said that our state was home to some of the top health research facilities in the world, and I hoped that we might be part of developing treatments and perhaps even a vaccine for this deadly virus,” Hogan said. “Novavax took that challenge running and the state of Maryland is proud to support the efforts of Novavax and our entire hub of life sciences companies.”
Maryland is currently moving into Stage Three of Recovery. Stage Three will be carried out in multiple phases that allows individual jurisdictions to make decisions.
The average number of positive tests have been declining since reaching 3.62 percent on Sept. 14.