The number of people filing for unemployment in Maryland went up last week, but the number of jobless claims remains well below its peak in the state during the coronavirus pandemic.
The state's labor department reported Thursday that 47,801 new claims were filed last week, up from the 41,941 claims that were filed the week before.
The number of claims have dropped dramatically from their peak during the week ending May 2 when more than 109,000 people filed for unemployment.
Nationwide, the number of laid-off workers who applied for unemployment benefits dropped slightly to 1.48 million last week. It was the 12th straight drop.
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Meanwhile, Maryland reported the state has had 3,001 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 as of Thursday morning, an increase of 23 from the day before. The state has been seeing a decline in the number of people hospitalized with the virus, reporting 511 hospitalizations as of Thursday morning. That's down 33 people over a 24-hour period. Hospitalizations peaked at 1,711 on April 30 in Maryland.
The state has had 65,777 confirmed cases of the virus, and there have been 433,182 negative test results. The state has conducted 603,597 tests, an increase of 11,635 tests over a 24-hour period.
Officials also reported a testing positivity percentage of 5.05%, down 0.12% in 24 hours.
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While a coronavirus resurgence is sending infections to dire new levels across the South and West, Gov. Larry Hogan said Thursday that key health metrics continue to trend in a positive direction in Maryland. But the governor emphasized that “we still have miles to go on our road to recovery.”
He urged Marylanders to use caution as people come into contact more frequently amid a gradual reopening of businesses and activities in recent weeks.
“We must all continue to remain vigilant," Hogan said in a statement Thursday. “Our health and economic recovery depends on all of us continuing to exercise personal responsibility in order to keep ourselves, our family members, our neighbors, and our coworkers safe.”
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Follow AP coverage of the pandemic at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak.
