BALTIMORE _ Maryland has confirmed 1,288 new coronavirus cases Saturday, the largest single-day increase in new confirmed cases since May 19, when 1,784 cases were reported.
It is Maryland's 12th straight day of adding more than 500 new confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, and brings the state up to 83,054 total cases.
The state also reported 11 more deaths Saturday. The confirmed death toll from the disease or complications from it since March has reached 3,304.
The number of people currently hospitalized because of COVID-19 in Maryland increased by 12 to 545 people, with 157 in intensive care, according to state data. That figure, one of the data points state officials are monitoring most closely, has increased each day since July 17.
The state has conducted a total of 1,075,316 coronavirus tests, with 34,874 added since Friday, 19,688 of which have come back negative, according to Maryland health officials.
The state's positivity rate _ a key metric in determining the spread of the virus _ decreased from 4.69% to 4.48% Saturday. The World Health Organization recommends 14 straight days where the rolling average positivity rate is under 5% before governments begin easing virus-related restrictions. Maryland began its reopening before hitting that benchmark.
