LEONARDTOWN, MD (September 26, 2020) – The St. Mary’s County Health Department (SMCHD) is announcing that as of today, over 20% of the local population has been tested for COVID-19. This includes over 6,200 tests that have been administered directly by SMCHD. The 7-day rolling average of positive cases among St. Mary’s County residents that have been tested is currently at 3.06%*.
“Testing for COVID-19 is key to identifying illness, tracing the spread, and implementing strategies to control further spread of coronavirus,” said Dr. Meena Brewster, St. Mary’s County Health Officer. “I am so very grateful to our dedicated healthcare partners and public health team for their tireless efforts to make testing readily available in our community.”
Who should get tested?
- Anyone showing signs or symptoms of COVID-19
- Close contacts (even if they do not have symptoms) of persons who have COVID-19
- Those attending events or gatherings where social distancing is not maintained
- Anyone returning from out-of-state travel, particularly from areas with rising case rates
- Community members without symptoms (asymptomatic) can also get tested if they are concerned about exposure to the novel coronavirus
For more information on COVID-19 testing in St. Mary’s, visit www.smchd.org/covid-19-testing.
*This indicator is based on a 7-day rolling average and may differ from the positivity rate reported on the State of Maryland coronavirus dashboard as the St. Mary’s County COVID-19 data dashboard reflects more recent case numbers and accounts for test duplicates (the total number of individuals tested is used in calculations rather than the total number of tests). Community members may view the most up-to-date local COVID-19 data online at www.smchd.org/covid-19-data.
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