Governor Larry Hogan marks 1 year since Maryland’s first coronavirus cases
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Friday marks one year since the first cases of coronavirus were confirmed in Maryland.
Governor Larry Hogan is calling today a "day of remembrance: - and he joined FOX 5 on Good Day DC to discuss the anniversary of an event that has changed every Marylander's life.
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"I don’t think any of us could have imagined what the last year was going to be like," the governor told FOX 5’s Holly Morris.
"I didn’t expect it to last this long – and I don’t think anybody really had any idea about how bad it would get or the fact that, you know, in our state, we would have 360,000 people infected, and 35,000 people hospitalized, and, you know we lost the lives of 7,700 Marylanders. We just did unimaginable things over the past year," Hogan noted, before detailing every measure the state took to stop the deadly virus.
Last year, on March 5, Hogan announced the news that three people from the state who had been traveling overseas had been diagnosed with the virus.
"We have been actively preparing for this situation over the last several weeks across all levels of government," Hogan announced that afternoon on Twitter. "I encourage all Marylanders not to panic, but to take this seriously and to stay informed as we continue to provide updates." Later that night he held a press conference and addressed Maryland residents.
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In the days and weeks that followed that announcement, Governor Hogan would declare a state of emergency in Maryland as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the world. Schools and businesses would shut down and hospitals would be flooded with COVID-19 positive patients. Wearing masks and face coverings in public would become the new normal.
A year later, COVID-19 has claimed more than 2.5 million lives across the world with over 520,000 of those deaths coming in the United States. In Maryland, over 7,700 people have died from the virus with over 380,000 cases confirmed.
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Three COVID-19 vaccines have been approved by the FDA and mass vaccination sites are operating across different parts of Maryland and the U.S. But health officials are still urging caution saying that there still is potential for another surge of the dealy virus as businesses slowly reopen and schools gradually return students to the classroom.
On Friday night, Governor Hogan will hold a twilight vigil ceremony on the steps of the State House in Annapolis to honor Marylanders who have lost their lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic.