December 4th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

New coronavirus cases have skyrocketed in Maryland, health officials said Friday. The state added 3,792 new cases of COVID-19, far and away more than in any other day since the outbreak began. The seven-day positivity rate reached 8%. Another 24 Marylanders have died, bringing the state's death toll to 4,630. Hospitalizations, a lagging indicator, have also been trending up, with 1,594 Marylanders hospitalized with the virus as of Friday morning.  

The positivity rate also climbed to 8% on Friday from 7.68% on Thursday.

Following the release of Friday’s numbers, Gov. Larry Hogan touted the state’s work to increase testing rates. All counties in the state have tested more than one-fourth of their population, the governor said, with Baltimore City at more than 48%, but he warned on Twitter “we still have dark days ahead” even with the promise of a vaccine,

"Early on, we set an ambitious goal of testing 10% of the population in every jurisdiction, and have worked closely with local partners to rapidly expand our testing infrastructure. All counties are now over 25%. Allegany has now exceeded 50%, and Baltimore City is at 48.3%," said Hogan. "The promise of a vaccine has given us a light at the end of the tunnel, but we still have dark days ahead. We continue to urge Marylanders to take the necessary steps to keep people out of the hospital and save lives: avoid gatherings, wear a mask, get tested, & wash your hands."