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| Maryland confirms first cases of coronavirus | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that three cases of coronavirus have been confirmed in the state. | |
| So far, no cases have been diagnosed in Virginia or the District. | |
| “The state’s Public Health Laboratory in Baltimore has confirmed the first three positive cases of novel coronavirus in Maryland,” Hogan said in a statement. | |
| See the latest live updates about the coronavirus here | |
| He said all three patients contracted the virus while traveling overseas and are “in good condition.” | |
| “We have been actively preparing for this situation over the last several weeks across all levels of government,” Hogan said. “I encourage all Marylanders not to panic, but to take this seriously and to stay informed as we continue to provide updates.” | |
| As of Thursday afternoon, 31 Maryland residents had been tested for covid-19. Of those, 17 came back negative for the disease and 14 results were pending, according to the Maryland Department of Health website page tracking the virus. | |
| Hogan announced the three confirmed cases Thursday evening. He said he would hold a news conference to discuss the situation at approximately 8 p.m. at the State House in Annapolis. | |
| The governor has said he is submitting emergency legislation to tap extra resources to respond to the virus, which would give him the authority to transfer up to $50 million from the state’s rainy day fund. | |
| He is also seeking $10 million in emergency funding request to the General Assembly as part of a supplemental budget. | |
| The state health department and the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems have been coordinating activities on surge planning, including ambulance re-routing plans, suspension of voluntary hospital admissions and enhanced methods of medical monitoring for home-bound patients with mild to moderate symptoms. | |
| “We want to thank the Governor and the Department of Health for their quick response and focus on these cases, and are ready to work together to confront this issue and make sure to align the best public response in a calm and collected manner,” House Speaker Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) and Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City) said in a statement. | |
| “We have the best health professionals in the world and have complete confidence in the ability of the medical community and the State and Local governments to work together to contain the effects of the COVID-19 virus.” | |
| Anxiety about the global coronavirus outbreak has catapulted health care to the issue of most concern to more Maryland residents, according to a poll released late Wednesday. | |
| Since January, the number of residents who described health care as their top concern tripled to 17 percent, the Gonzales Maryland Poll found. The figure was second to crime. | |
| Fears over the threat of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, fueled the change, pollster Patrick E. Gonzales said. | |
| This is a developing story. It will be updated. | |
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