Montgomery County, Maryland, can expect to see an increase in COVID-19 cases, according to county health officials.
As of Monday morning, the county’s COVID-19 dashboard showed 319.7 cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days, putting Montgomery County in the “medium” range.
In a weekly briefing with reporters, Sean O’Donnell, Montgomery County’s public health emergency preparedness manager, said the latest omicron variants continue to spread through the community.
“I think the most recent model does predict that our numbers will — based on this weekend’s data — continue to climb” for the next two to three weeks, he said.
But hospitalization rates remain low, O’Donnell said, and hospital stays are shorter than in previous surges.
While mask mandates are no longer in place, O’Donnell said, the county still recommends that people wear masks when they’re indoors or in congregate settings.
“In particular, if they are high risk or not up to date on their vaccinations,” he said. “Just reminding folks this is not a mandate, but this is a strong recommendation.”
According to Montgomery County Public Schools’ COVID-19 dashboard, there have been 2,229 cases reported in the past 10 days. That figure includes staff members as well as students.
“Our goal is to try to keep the kids in schools, and that has been working where we identify outbreaks,” O’Donnell said.
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Looking for more information? D.C., Maryland and Virginia are each releasing more data every day. Visit their official sites here: Virginia | Maryland | D.C.