BALTIMORE — Maryland reported 1,541 new coronavirus cases Friday, the third-highest daily total since the start of the pandemic.
The large caseload comes a day after Gov. Larry Hogan issued a warning to Marylanders not to "let our guard down" amid rising cases and hospitalizations. The only days with higher case counts — 1,784 and 1,730 — came in May, a month in which virus metrics were at pandemic highs.
Maryland also reported 11 new deaths tied to COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.
The state also passed 600 hospitalizations for the first time since June.
Hogan, a Republican, said Thursday that the state was at a pivotal point in fighting the virus, but didn't enact any new restrictions in a news conference Thursday.
Friday's data brought Maryland past the 150,000-case mark, as Maryland has now seen a total of 151,505 virus cases and 4,046 deaths since March. The state has the 17-th most deaths and the 33rd-most cases per capita among states, according to data from Johns Hopkins University's coronavirus resource center.
Cases are growing across the country, as 43 states including Maryland have seen cases increase in the past week, according to Hopkins. Just one state, Tennessee, which has had the seventh-most cases per capita nationwide, according to Hopkins, has seen cases decline. Six states have seen cases stay flat, according to Hopkins.
Since the end of September, the two-week average of daily new cases in Maryland has spiked from a low since July of 488 on Sept. 30 to 856 as of Thursday. That figure reached a pandemic high of 1,031 new cases in May. Hogan said Thursday that the state's "worst time" with the virus could be in the coming months.
As experts have, Hogan warned of pandemic fatigue, urging Marylanders to "just wear the damn masks."
Research has shown that cooler fall and winter weather can allow the virus to spread more easily.
Maryland reported 609 people hospitalized Friday, up from 588 Thursday, as hospitalizations have more than doubled since late September. Rising hospitalizations have been some experts' biggest concern statewide.
Among those hospitalized, 152 needed intensive care, down slightly from 157 Thursday. ICU hospitalizations have more than doubled since they were at 68 as of late September.
The state's rolling seven-day positivity rate was 4.37% as of Friday, up from 4.21% Thursday. Hopkins' positivity rate, which is calculated differently than the state's, was 3.44% as of Thursday's data, up from 3.32% as of Wednesday.
