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| Maryland coronavirus: Hogan confirms three cases in Montgomery County | Maryland coronavirus: Hogan confirms three cases in Montgomery County |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that three people from Montgomery County have been diagnosed with coronavirus: a husband and wife in their 70s and a woman who is in her 50s. | Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that three people from Montgomery County have been diagnosed with coronavirus: a husband and wife in their 70s and a woman who is in her 50s. |
| Hogan declared a state of emergency to speed the delivery of resources. So far, no cases of coronavirus have been diagnosed in Virginia or the District. | |
| All three Maryland patients contracted the virus while traveling overseas and are “in good condition,” Hogan said. The woman is not related to the couple. They are quarantined in their homes in Montgomery, a large and affluent suburb of about 1 million people just outside Washington, D.C. | |
| “We have been actively preparing for this situation over the last several weeks across all levels of government,” Hogan said. “I encourage all Marylanders ... to take this seriously and to stay informed as we continue to provide updates.” | |
| As of Thursday morning, 31 Maryland residents had been tested for covid-19. Seventeen of the tests were negative, according to the Maryland Department of Health website page tracking the virus. The rest were pending. | |
| See the latest live updates about the coronavirus here | See the latest live updates about the coronavirus here |
| Hogan announced the three confirmed cases Thursday evening. At a news conference at the State House in Annapolis, he urged residents to remain calm. | |
| “While today’s news may seem overwhelming, this is not a reason to panic,” Hogan said. “Marylanders should go to school and work, just as they normally do.” | “While today’s news may seem overwhelming, this is not a reason to panic,” Hogan said. “Marylanders should go to school and work, just as they normally do.” |
| Deputy public health secretary Fran Phillips said the three victims returned to Maryland from the same overseas trip on Feb. 20. Officials declined to specify where they had traveled. | |
| The patients were tested nearly two weeks later, on Wednesday morning. Maryland received the results Thursday. | |
| A spokesman for Hogan said the U.S. Centers for Disease Control made the state aware this week that Maryland residents may have been on a trip with people who had been infected with the virus. The state health department then notified the three individuals. | |
| Phillips said the three had “flu-like” symptons, but none was seriously ill. They were able to bring themselves to a local hospital for testing after the state informed them that they may have been exposed. | |
| The hospital was prepared for their arrival, and they arrived wearing “protective precautions,” Phillips said. | |
| Specimens were collected and they returned home, where they remained as of Thursday evening. They were each mildly to moderately ill, and their symptoms are now abating, she said. The Maryland Health Department, the county health department and the Centers for Disease Control are conducting a thorough investigation of the cases. | |
| Mapping coronavirus cases in the U.S. and thorughout the world | |
| All three patients have been “extraordinarily cooperative,” Phillips said. “We want to understand exactly where they went, who they interacted with.” | |
| The patients are not believed to have had any contact with school-aged children, she said. | The patients are not believed to have had any contact with school-aged children, she said. |
| For weeks, elected officials in the region have been meeting with their public health departments, emergency management teams and top lieutenants in anticipation of what many said was the inevitability of confirmed cases of the airborne disease. | For weeks, elected officials in the region have been meeting with their public health departments, emergency management teams and top lieutenants in anticipation of what many said was the inevitability of confirmed cases of the airborne disease. |
| As medical professionals prepared for the possibility, they made sure they had plenty of masks and other personal protective equipment for first responders and others who would be on the front lines of caring for patients. | As medical professionals prepared for the possibility, they made sure they had plenty of masks and other personal protective equipment for first responders and others who would be on the front lines of caring for patients. |
| Twenty-one Virginia residents have been tested as of Thursday, including 18 whose tests came back negative and three that are pending. None of the pending cases are in Northern Virginia. Eight D.C. residents have been tested, six of those came back negative and two are pending. | |
| The Maryland General Assembly has fast-tracked a request from the governor to access $50 million from the state’s rainy day fund to deal with the coronavirus. The legislation moved to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and the House Appropriations Committee Thursday. It will be considered by the full Senate Friday. | The Maryland General Assembly has fast-tracked a request from the governor to access $50 million from the state’s rainy day fund to deal with the coronavirus. The legislation moved to the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and the House Appropriations Committee Thursday. It will be considered by the full Senate Friday. |
| Hogan also submitted a supplemental budget request for fiscal 2021 that would allocate $10 million in emergency expenses to prepare for the coronavirus. Part of the spending would be used to purchase equipment for rapid diagnosis, additional staff for investigations, and providing services for quarantined individuals, including food and medicine. | Hogan also submitted a supplemental budget request for fiscal 2021 that would allocate $10 million in emergency expenses to prepare for the coronavirus. Part of the spending would be used to purchase equipment for rapid diagnosis, additional staff for investigations, and providing services for quarantined individuals, including food and medicine. |
| 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. | 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. |
| How the virus spread in New York: From a man to his family. Then a neighbor. Then friends. | How the virus spread in New York: From a man to his family. Then a neighbor. Then friends. |
| Anxiety about the global coronavirus outbreak has catapulted health care to become a top concer for many 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, second only to the percent who are most worried about crime. | |
| Fears over the threat of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, fueled the change, pollster Patrick E. Gonzales said. | Fears over the threat of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, fueled the change, pollster Patrick E. Gonzales said. |
| The Montgomery County Council received a briefing Tuesday on preparation efforts in the county. | |
| “From what we heard, the county is as prepared as it can be under the circumstances,” said County Council member Gabe Albornoz (D-At Large), chair of the council’s health committee. | |
| Council Vice President Tom Hucker (D-District 5) said he was particularly concerned about exposing Montgomery’s large immigrant population to the virus. | |
| “We have a very diverse population of undocumented residents who have understandable fears now of interacting with government agencies,” said Hucker, whose district includes the densely populated Silver Spring. | |
| He cited the recent public charge rule, which advocates say has made some immigrant families fearful of seeking medical care. “It’s very important that these folks know in Montgomery, they’re safe, and they should seek medical attention right away if they have symptoms,” he said. | |
| Erin Cox and Rebecca Tan contributed to this report. | |
| This is a developing story. It will be updated. | This is a developing story. It will be updated. |
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