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TRE? TRE: ANDRE, WE NOW KNOW THERE ARE AT LEAST TWO INSTANCES OF PUBLIC INTERACTION WITH SOME OF THE PATIENTS. IT FORCED A CLOSURE OF MULTIPLE SCHOOLS IN THE PHILADELPHIA AREA AND NOW A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY. >> I WANT TO CONTINUE TO ASSURE MARYLANDERS THAT OUR STATE IS TAKING EVERY PRECAUTION WHEN IT COMES TO THE CORONAVIRUS AND OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY IS KEEPING OUR RESIDENTS SAFE. TRE: JUST OE DAY AFTER DECLARING A STATE OF EMERGENCY FOLLOWING THE CORONAVIRU DIAGNOSES OF THREE PEOPLE FROM MONTGOMERY COUNTY, GOVERNOR LARRY HOGAN IS RELEASING NEW DETAILS ON THE PATIENTS. HE SAYS THE 3 MARYLANDERS, A COUPLE IN THEIR 70’S AND A WOMAN IN HER 50’S, CONTRACTED THE VIRUS WHILE ON THE M.S. ASARA, AN EGYPTIAN CRUISE SHIP ON THE NILE RIVER. THOSE THREE PATIENTS ALSO CONNECTED TO SIX CONFIRMED CORONAVIRUS CASES IN TEXAS. >> THIS DOES APPEAR TO BE THE PSAME CRUISE SHIP THAT THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ANNOUNCED TODAY HAS 12 WORKERS WHO HAV BEEN PLACED IN QUARANTINED FOR -- QUARANTINE FOR 14 DAYS. TRE: AUTHORITIES SAY THE 3 PATIENTS RETURNED TO THE U.S. IN LATE FEBRUARY. SINCE THEN, OFFICIALS TELL US ONE OF THE PATIENTS WENT TO A SCHOOL EVENT NEAR PHILADELPHIA. IT PROMPTED THE CLOSURE OF FIVE SCHOOLS FRIDAY IN THE CENTRAL BUCKS SCHOOL DISTRICT. AND OFFICIALS SAY ANOTHER PATIENT ATTENDED AN EVENT AT THE VILLAGE AT ROCKVILLE RETIREMENT COMMUNITY ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 29, COMING INTO CONTACT WITH 70 TO 100 VISITOR >> THE FACILITY THERE HAS A WORKFORCE STAFF THAT THEY WILL BE LOOKING AFTER MONITORING TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE HEALTH CARE WORKERS DO NOT DEVELOP SYMPTOMS. THEY ALSO ARE VERY COOPERATIVE IN MAKING SURE THAT RESIDENTS THAT MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED ONLY AT THAT ONE GATHERING THAT O DAY HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS. TRE: AUTHORITIES SAY 5 FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE PATIENTS CONFIRMED WITH THE CORONAVIRUS WILL ALSO BE ADVISED TO UNDERGO TESTING. SO FAR, 44 PEOPLE IN THE STATE HAVE BEEN TESTED FOR THE CORONAVIRUS. 33 ARE NEGATIVE WITH 8 STILL PENDING. LIVE IN ANNAPOLIS, I’M TRE WARD, WBAL T

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Gov. Larry Hogan said two of the three patients who tested positive for coronavirus had some interaction with the public.According to Hogan, the three patients are a married couple in their 70s and a woman in her 50s. "I want to continue to assure Marylanders that our state is taking every precaution when it comes to the coronavirus and our highest priority is keeping our residents safe," Hogan said.|| Maryland Health Department coronavirus information ||Hogan declared a state of emergency Thursday for Maryland, after the three people tested positive for the coronavirus. On Friday, the Maryland state Senate unanimously passed Hogan's emergency legislation to free up to $50 million to help combat the virus. Officials confirmed that all three traveled on the M.S. Asara, an Egyptian cruise ship on the Nile River, but said it did not originate out of Baltimore. Those three patients are also connected to six confirmed coronavirus cases in Texas."This does appear to be the same cruise ship that the World Health Organization announced today has 12 workers who have been placed in quarantined for 14 days," Hogan said. Officials said five family members of the patients confirmed with the coronavirus will also be advised to undergo testing. One patient attended a school event in the Philadelphia area. As a precaution, the Central Bucks Schools District closed five schools Friday. Another patient attended an event at the Village at Rockville retirement community Feb. 28. The Maryland Department of Health determined the time period of risk of exposure is from noon to 6 p.m."The facility there has a workforce staff that they will be looking after, monitoring to make sure that those health care workers do not develop symptoms. They also are very cooperative in making sure that residents that may have been exposed only at that one gathering, that one day, that one gathering, if those residents have any symptoms," said Fran Phillips, of the Maryland Department of Health.The MDH recommended that members of the public who attended the event should monitor themselves for symptoms of a respiratory infection, including fever, cold-like symptoms, cough, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, until March 13. Members of the public who have questions about this information are encouraged to call the Maryland Emergency Management Agency call center at 410-517-3720. The call center is available until midnight tonight and from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. || LINK: JHU DASHBOARD ||Adrienne Jones, speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates, and Sen. Bill Ferguson issued a joint statement Thursday night, praising Hogan's actions: “We want to thank the governor and the Department of Health for their quick response and focus on these cases, and are ready to work together to confront this issue and make sure to align the best public response in a calm and collected manner. We have the best health professionals in the world and have complete confidence in the ability of the medical community and the state and local governments to work together to contain the effects of the COVID-19 virus."Maryland coronavirus in numbers: March 6Number of patients tested for COVID-19: 44Number of COVID-19 tests pending: 8 Number of negative COVID-19 tests: 33Number of positive COVID-19 tests: 3 Hogan said the number of cases being monitored for indirect contact stands at 374.On Tuesday, Hogan announced that the Maryland State Public Health Laboratory has been approved to test for the virus, meaning test results will no longer need to be sent to Atlanta and the wait for results will shorten."While we continue to hope for the best, we are actively preparing for the worst," Hogan said Wednesday.On Wednesday morning, Hogan said the Maryland Emergency Management Agency raised the state's activation level to enhanced in order to mobilize additional resources. He said the administration is also submitting a supplemental budget, which includes $10 million in an emergency coronavirus preparedness fund. Emergency legislation was also submitted to allow for the ability to transfer available resources from the rainy day fund for costs stemming from the state's coronavirus response efforts.Hogan talked last week about how the state is addressing the coronavirus threat and how residents should prepare. The governor and state health officials made it clear that Maryland is currently considered a "low-level risk." Hogan said there is no immediate health threat in Maryland but that the state is taking every precaution to address the coronavirus.Archbishop William Lori ordered clergy to suspend the sign of peace at Masses and stop offering consecrated wine, the Archdiocese of Baltimore announced Tuesday."Parishioners should forgo shaking hands during the sign of peace and instead greet their neighbor with a bow and the words 'peace be with you,'" the archdiocese posted online.President Donald Trump said the focus regarding the spread of the virus is on trying to develop a vaccine, but that process could take as long as a year. The president visited the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda on Tuesday afternoon. He visited the vaccine research center, where he participated in a roundtable briefing.Many people are asking how to prepare for the virus and avoid getting sick. The Howard County Health Department will address concerns from the public in a series of free community presentations, the last of which will be at 2 p.m. March 10 at the Miller Library. The classes are free, but residents have to register to attend.Sinai Hospital PreparednessHospitals in Maryland are prepared and said everyone needs to take precautions to keep from getting sick with any respiratory illness."I think we all need to be prepared because it's just a matter of time before it spreads from other parts of the country," said Dr. Kjell Wiberg, an infectious disease specialist at Sinai Hospital.Prepared, but not panicked. Wiberg said the coronavirus spreads like any other respiratory virus, such as a cold or the flu, by people coming in contact with infected droplets."The problem with the coronavirus is that because nobody has immunity against it, it tends to make us sicker at this point," Wiberg said.To prevent getting any virus, the same rules of good hygiene apply. Wash your hands or use sanitizer frequently; don't cough into your hand, use your elbow; and if you're sick, stay home. Be careful of hidden areas that harbor germs, such as doorknobs, gas pumps and cellphones."If I don't remember when I washed my hands the last time and I've been touching things, I use alcohol sanitizer if I have nothing else to use," Wiberg said.Wiberg also said face masks won't help protect you from getting sick but will protect others from your germs.Sinai Hospital had to move its masks behind the information desk because people were grabbing handfuls from the entrance, and it's keeping tabs on the coronavirus."We've stepped up our hospital incident command center. This allows us to develop a coordinated communication plan, and we're able to effectively communicate with all our hospitals, our outpatient and our ambulatory areas," said Martha Hill, Sinai's emergency preparedness coordinator.On a daily basis, hospital staff are taking normal precautions for any respiratory illness, including face masks and eye protection. They also have a protocol and isolation rooms for any possible cases."First, we would identify those symptoms in the patient, and then immediately, we would mask that patient and move them to an airborne isolation room," said Hill.Wiberg said many viruses die off as the weather gets warmer, but since coronavirus is so new, doctors aren't sure that will happen.Johns Hopkins InvolvementJohns Hopkins is at the forefront of gathering data and information about the coronavirus. Its scientists created an interactive map showing how the virus is spreading in real time.They are also looking at how prepared the nation is for this international crisis.During a webinar at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, experts said the United States is No. 1 in five of six categories for preparedness -- prevention, early detection and reporting, rapid response and mitigation, sufficient and robust health system, and compliance with international norms.The study, co-led by Jennifer Nuzzo, said the U.S. has work to do with respect to health care access."I fear if the cost of health care is a deterrent, then that could create a bad situation where people either remain at home or in their community potentially infecting others," Nuzzo said.The scientists said it's also important to expand testing so we can know how much of the virus is out there, for how long and how quickly it's moving. With testing, a rise in new cases is predicted."Those new cases may expand very quickly. They were always there; it's not that we are having an explosion in the community. It's that we're finding the cases that are there," said Tara Sell, of Johns Hopkins.