COVID-19 State Of Emergency In MD: Masks, Testing Ramp Up

 After declaring a state of emergency in Maryland last week, Gov. Larry Hogan gave an update Thursday on the COVID-19 situation. He announced additional surge testing sites, new measures at nursing homes and free KN95 and N95 mask distribution, among other developments.

Maryland has completed more than 17 million COVID-19 tests, Hogan said Thursday, speaking at the University of Maryland Shore Medical Pavilion at Easton. Daily, the state is administering an average of 63,000 COVID-19 tests, he said.

More surge testing sites will open to screen people for COVID-19, including at these locations:

• Anne Arundel County — University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center
• Garrett County — Garrett Regional Medical Center
• Howard County — Howard County General Hospital
• Montgomery County — Holy Cross Germantown Hospital
• Talbot County — University of Maryland Shore Regional Health
• Wicomico County — TidalHealth

National Guard members will help staff these sites, which come in addition to those previously announced at Annapolis and Bel Air hospitals.

Hogan addressed the state two days after the Maryland Department of Health reported a pandemic-high number of hospitalizations, with 3,462 people hospitalized with COVID-19.