WASHINGTON — It’s Tuesday, Dec. 1, and as Maryland reports its 200,000th case of the coronavirus, the state has seen its death rate from the virus triple over the past month.
As of Dec. 1, an average of 27 Marylanders were dying every day from COVID-19. That’s more than three times the rate just a month earlier on Nov. 1. Those deaths also include the DMV's first fatal case of the coronavirus in someone under the age of 10, announced in Maryland on Monday.
Maryland's rise in coronavirus-related deaths coincides with a more than 200% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the state over the same period.
Hospitalizations in Virginia are following a similar trajectory. As of Tuesday, more Virginians were hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 than ever before – 1,757. Of those, nearly 400 were in intensive care beds, and 173 were on ventilators.
The District of Columbia hasn’t escaped this either. The percentage of hospital beds in use for COVID-19 in the city has increased from 4.2% to 7.5% since November 7.
In case you’re in a hurry and just looking for the numbers, here’s how things look today:
- DC – D.C. reported 133 new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday out of just 2,153 tests – giving it a single-day positivity rate of 6.2%. The city’s average positivity rate has been on the rise since late October, and is currently just under 4%.
- Maryland – On Tuesday, Maryland reported its 200,000th case of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, just under 1,600 people in the state are now hospitalized for treatment of the virus – approaching the state’s all-time high.
- Virginia – After a drop in reported deaths over the holiday weekend, Virginia reported 31 new deaths from the coronavirus on Tuesday, along with more than 2,200 new cases. Almost a quarter of a million people in the commonwealth have now contracted the virus.
How are things in the DMV?
All across the D.C. metropolitan region, metrorail customers may soon see service slashed even further as WMATA eyes ways to close a nearly $500 million funding gap.
WUSA9’s Tom Dempsey reported Monday that the agency was expecting operating costs to grow by $93 million, even as projected ridership is only expected to record to around 34% of what it was before the pandemic.
That could mean 2,400 jobs eliminated, limited weekday service and the closure of 19 stations.
Meanwhile in Virginia, despite the ongoing rise in coronavirus cases in the region, Prince William and Loudoun County public schools are preparing to bring another round of students back to their buildings this week.
Approximately 10,000 students will return to classrooms across both districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
WUSA9’s Jess Arnold reported on how teachers, parents and health officials are reacting to the move. Read more about Prince William and Loudoun counties’ decision to return students to school here.