Covid-19 on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, May 11
Jane Jewell • May 12, 2020
It began in China in late October or more likely November 2019 — a mysterious illness often with an atypical pneumonia that didn’t respond well to the usual antibiotics. By the end of December, doctors in the busy city of Wuhan knew they had a problem. On January 7, 2020, Chinese scientists identified the virus causing the outbreak. It was a new variety of the well-known coronavirus family.
Less than a week later, on January 11, China recorded its first death from the virus. Just two days later, on January 13, the first case outside of China was found in Thailand. One week to the day later on January 20, the first known case in the U.S. was reported in Washington State. On January 23, Wuhan and the surrounding area in China went into a strict lock-down quarantine. At the end of the month, on January 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global public health emergency. That was officially upgraded to a pandemic on March 11.
Since then it has spread to over 219 countries and territories, including Italy, France, Great Britain, Iran, and South Korea. As of Monday, May 11, there are just over 4.1 million confirmed cases of covid-19 worldwide. Of these, almost 2.5 million (60 percent) are active cases. Around 1.4 million (33 percent) have recovered, and 284,000 have died. That’s a death rate of 6.8 percent, though that rate will probably go down over time as more people are tested. The totals so far, especially in the U.S., mainly reflect those who have been very sick and therefore got tested. The statistics don’t include many of the milder cases that went untested. But even considering that, covid-19 is looking to have a very high fatality rate. It is now the largest cause of death in the U.S., having passed heart disease, cancer, accidents, and all other major causes.
Here on the Eastern Shore, as of May 11, there have been 1,443 confirmed cases of covid-19. Of these, 57 have died.
Maryland’s total for all confirmed cases of covid-19 is currently 33,373 and climbing every day. That’s roughly a 70 percent increase over the last two weeks. Cases on the Eastern Shore went from 848 two weeks ago to 1,443, also a 70 percent increase, thus matching the state as a whole.
The number of covid-19 cases both in Maryland and on the Eastern Shore has risen, but what is more significant is that the rate, adjusted for population, has risen sharply not only for Maryland in general but also in each of the nine Eastern Shore counties. Maryland’s covid-19 case rate is now 554 per 100,000 population. Two weeks ago, the Maryland rate was 322. Caroline County’s rate has more than doubled from 207 cases to 508 per 100,000 population. Cecil County has gone from 159 to 260, a 65 percent increase. Similar rate increases were seen in Kent (66 percent) and Somerset (62 percent).
Wicomico had a lower increase of about 52 percent but its rate of 675 per 100,000 population is the highest on the Eastern Shore. It is, in fact, the second highest rate in Maryland. The highest is Prince George’s at 1,071 per 100,000. Wicomico’s is higher than either Montgomery County (668) or Baltimore City (547). Kent and Caroline counties also have relatively high rates at 592 and 508 respectively.
On the other hand, Talbot County at 164 has the second lowest rate in Maryland. Only Garrett County is lower with the ultra-low rate of 20 per 100,000.
The high case rates in Kent, Caroline, and Wicomico counties reflect, in part, hotspots in local nursing homes and areas with crowded living or working conditions such as chicken processing plants. More testing and inspections in these hotspots are planned.
Of course, all these numbers, percentages, and comparisons change daily. Most trends, unfortunately, are rising, indicating more covid-19. In which direction the numbers will go — both in the near and long-term future — depends on several factors, only one that we as individuals can do much about personally. Until there is increased and improved testing, careful contract tracing, and medical advances in vaccines and therapies against the virus, only our behavior as a society can make the difference. That of course means wearing masks in public, washing hands, sanitizing surfaces, and maintaining social distancing of at least six feet. So hang in there, folks. We need to support medical research while doing all we can personally to flatten the curve.
Statistics for the number of cases and deaths in the first chart are from the official Maryland State Coronavirus website at https://coronavirus.maryland.gov/. The website is updated daily with information for the state as a whole with a breakdown of data for each individual county. There are also data by age, gender, race, and ethnicity though not all of those categories are available for the county level.
The per capita rates per 100,000 population are from the New York Times interactive Coronavirus Map and Case Count at https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/maryland-coronavirus-cases.html. This site is updated daily for all fifty states with breakdowns by county.
Other useful sites and articles include:
“A comprehensive timeline of the new coronavirus pandemic, from China's first COVID-19 case to the present,” Business Insider, May 4, 2020
Jane Jewell
is a writer, editor, photographer, and teacher. She has worked in news, publishing, and as the director of a national writer's group. She lives in Chestertown with her husband Peter Heck, a ginger cat named Riley, and a lot of books.
Common Sense for the Eastern Shore
Right now, Congress is working on a fast-track bill that would make historic cuts to basic needs programs in order to finance another round of tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations.
The House Agriculture Committee recently voted, along party lines, to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 million from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, helping more than 41 million people in the U.S. pay for food. With potential cuts this large, it helps to know who benefits from this program in Maryland, and who would lose this assistance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities compiled data on SNAP beneficiaries by congressional district, cited below, and produced the Maryland state datasheet , shown below. In Maryland, in 2023-24, 1 in 9 people lived in a household with SNAP benefits. In Maryland’s First Congressional District, in 2023-24: Almost 34,000 households used SNAP benefits. Of those households, 43% had at least one senior (over age 60). 29% of SNAP recipients were people of color. 15% were Black, non-Hispanic, higher than 11.8% nationally. 6% were Hispanic (19.4% nationally). There were 24,700 total veterans (ages 18-64). Of those, 2,200 lived in households that used SNAP benefits (9%). The CBPP SNAP datasheet for Maryland is below. See data from all the states and download factsheets here.
Apparently, some people think that the GOP’s “big beautiful bill” is a foregone conclusion, and that the struggle over the budget and Trump’s agenda is over and done. Not true. On Sunday night, the bill — given the alternate name “Big Bad Bullsh*t Bill” by the Democratic Women’s Caucus — was voted out of the House Budget Committee. The GOP plan is to pass this legislation in the House before Memorial Day. But that’s not the end of it. As Jessica Craven explained in her Chop Wood Carry Water column: “Remember, we have at least six weeks left in this process. The bill has to: Pass the House, Then head to the Senate where it will likely be rewritten almost completely, Then be passed there, Then be brought back to the House for reconciliation, And then, if the House changes that version at all, Go back to the Senate for another vote.” She adds, “Every step of that process is a place for us to kill it.” The bill is over a thousand pages long, and the American people will not get a chance to read it until it has passed the House. But, thanks to 5Calls , we know it includes:
Let's talk about our Eastern Shore Delegation, the representatives who are supposed to fight for our nine Shore counties in Annapolis, and what they actually got up to this session.
For the first time in recent memory, Virginia Democrats have candidates running in all 100 House of Delegates districts — a milestone party leaders and grassroots organizers say reflects rising momentum as President Donald Trump’s second term continues to galvanize opposition.
The 447th legislative session of the Maryland General Assembly adjourned on April 8. This End of Session Report highlights the work Shore Progress has done to fight for working families and bring real results home to the Shore. Over the 90-day session, lawmakers debated 1,901 bills and passed 878 into law. Shore Progress and members supported legislation that delivers for the Eastern Shore, protecting our environment, expanding access to housing and healthcare, strengthening workers’ rights, and more. Shore Progress Supported Legislation By The Numbers: Over 60 pieces of our backed legislation were passed. Another 15 passed in one Chamber but not the other. Legislation details are below, past the budget section. The 2026 Maryland State Budget How We Got Here: Maryland’s budget problems didn’t start overnight. They began under Governor Larry Hogan. Governor Hogan expanded the state budget yearly but blocked the legislature from moving money around or making common-sense changes. Instead of fixing the structural issues, Hogan used federal covid relief funds to hide the cracks and drained our state’s savings from $5.5 billion to $2.3 billion to boost his image before leaving office. How Trump/Musk Made It Worse: Maryland is facing a new fiscal crisis driven by the Trump–Musk administration, whose trade wars, tariff policies, and deep federal cuts have hit us harder than most, costing the state over 30,000 jobs, shuttering offices, and erasing promised investments. A University of Maryland study estimates Trump’s tariffs alone could cost us $2 billion, and those federal cuts have already added $300 million to our budget deficit. Covid aid gave us a short-term boost and even created a fake surplus under Hogan, but that money is gone, while housing, healthcare, and college prices keep rising. The Trump–Musk White House is only making things worse by slashing funding, gutting services, and eliminating research that Marylanders rely on. How The State Budget Fixes These Issues: This year, Maryland faced a $3 billion budget gap, and the General Assembly fixed it with a smart mix of cuts and fair new revenue, while protecting working families, schools, and health care. The 2025 Budget cuts $1.9 billion ($400 million less than last year) without gutting services people rely on. The General Assembly raised $1.2 billion in fair new revenue, mostly from the wealthiest Marylanders. The Budget ended with a $350 million surplus, plus $2.4 billion saved in the Rainy Day Fund (more than 9% of general fund revenue), which came in $7 million above what the Spending Affordability Committee called for. The budget protects funding for our schools, health care, transit, and public workers. The budget delivers real wins: $800 million more annually for transit and infrastructure, plus $500 million for long-term transportation needs. It invests $9.7 billion in public schools and boosts local education aid by $572.5 million, a 7% increase. If current revenue trends hold, no new taxes will be needed next session. Even better, 94% of Marylanders will see a tax cut or no change, while only the wealthiest 5% will finally pay their fair share. The tax system is smarter now. We’re: Taxing IT and data services like Texas and D.C. do; Raising taxes on cannabis and sports betting, not groceries or medicine; and Letting counties adjust income taxes. The budget also restores critical funding: $122 million for teacher planning $15 million for cancer research $11 million for crime victims $7 million for local business zones, and Continued support for public TV, the arts, and BCCC The budget invests in People with disabilities, with $181 million in services Growing private-sector jobs with $139 million in funding, including $27.5 million for quantum tech, $16 million for the Sunny Day Fund, and $10 million for infrastructure loans. Health care is protected for 1.5 million Marylanders, with $15.6 billion for Medicaid and higher provider pay. Public safety is getting a boost too, with $60 million for victim services, $5.5 million for juvenile services, and $5 million for parole and probation staffing. This budget also tackles climate change with $100 million for clean energy and solar projects, and $200 million in potential ratepayer relief. Public workers get a well-deserved raise, with $200 million in salary increases, including a 1% COLA and ~2.5% raises for union workers. The ultra-wealthy will finally chip in to pay for it: People earning over $750,000 will pay more, Millionaires will pay 6.5%, and Capital gains over $350,000 get a 2% surcharge. Deductions are capped for high earners, but working families can still deduct student loans, medical debt, and donations. This budget is bold, fair, and built to last. That’s why Shore Progress proudly supports it. Click on the arrows below for details in each section.
