Baltimore-Washington corridor emerging as COVID-19 'hotspot,' Gov. Hogan says
WASHINGTON (ABC7) — The Baltimore-Washington corridor is emerging as a "hotspot" for COVID-19, Governor Larry Hogan said at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.
"I'm pleased to report that we have succeeded in convincing the Trump administration to designate the greater Baltimore-Washington corridor as a priority," Hogan said.
This includes Maryland in general, and 12 jurisdictions in particular - Baltimore City, Baltimore County, Carroll County, Prince George's County, Montgomery County, Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Frederick County, Harford County, Queen Anne's County, Calvert County and Charles County.
These areas will will now be considered as needing "urgent federal attention," Hogan said.
As Maryland prepares for an expected surge in coronavirus cases, the governor toured the newly-created field hospital at the Baltimore Convention Center.
Wearing a protective mask, Hogan got a close up look at what will soon be a makeshift hospital.
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It will have 250 beds for coronavirus patients who are recovering, freeing up beds for patients needing more care.
But as the number of cases expands statewide, the governor admits this pandemic is far from over. He says outbreaks of the virus have occurred at 90 Maryland nursing homes.
So, he’s announced creation of a new strike team of health care professionals. They’ll be dispatched to many of those nursing facilities.
“Which will include doctors, nurse practitioners and registered nurses from major hospital systems who will be tasked with providing on-site medical triage and stabilizing residents in the nursing home.”
Watch Hogan's full remarks, which started with a tour of the Baltimore Convention Center field hospital site, below.
And responding to pleas from many state lawmakers, the governor said state health officials will now list the race and ethnicity of all patients infected with the virus.
But the Governor warns the breakdown of cases may be incomplete.
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“Ninety percent of the testing is being done by doctors and hospitals who are sending tests to private labs outside of the state which have not been keeping such data.
As of Tuesday morning, there were 4,371 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maryland and 103 deaths. The most cases, and the most deaths, are in Montgomery and Prince George's counties.
