Community Members Should Continue Masking, Distancing & Other Measures to Slow the Spread
Ongoing surveillance of local COVID-19 data by the St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) has shown a recent surge in several key indicators, including:
• Total cases of COVID-19 in St. Mary’s County residents: 1,826 (+157 in past 7 days)
• New Case Rate per 100,000: 16.15 (+5.84 in past 7 days, 57% increase)
• Percentage Confirmed Positive (PCR) Cases: 7.51 (+0.59 in past 7 days, 9% increase)
• Estimated Effective Reproduction Number (Rt): 1.54 (+0.17 in past 7 days, 12% increase)
Community members may view the most up-to-date local COVID-19 data on the SMCHD website at www.smchd.org/covid-19-data.
Disease investigation efforts demonstrate that the most common high risk activities contributing to the recent spread of COVID-19 in St. Mary’s County include:
• Social gatherings and events with non-household members (including smaller events with family and/or friends)
• Indoor bar patronage
• Going to work outside of the home when feeling sick/showing symptoms
• Participating in sports or league teams
• Travel to areas with rising case or positivity rates
“This new case rate is the highest we have seen thus far in the course of this pandemic locally,” said Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer. “In addition, the rising numbers now are largely reflective of strong community spread outside of nursing homes. We are urging members of our community to limit interactions with people outside of their own household, wear a face covering and maintain social distancing, telework as feasible, and stay home if you have symptoms except to get tested or seek medical care.”
For local updates and information on prevention, symptoms, testing, and more, please visit www.smchd.org/coronavirus or call SMCHD at (301) 475-4330.
