St. Mary's County confirms first COVID-19 case; health officials expand testing, activate emergency response

St. Mary's County officials announced a confirmed case of COVID-19 in a county resident on Saturday, March 21, 2020, and described steps they are taking to find contacts, expand testing and protect high-risk residents.

Dr. Mina Brewster, St. Mary's County health officer, said earlier that day the resident — described as being in her 20s — had been isolating at home and that the health department was investigating possible exposures. "We will reach out to anyone that may have been in close contact with this resident during the time that she has been contagious," Brewster said. She urged residents to follow infection-prevention guidance: wash hands frequently, stay more than 6 feet away from others, avoid gatherings of more than 10 people and for people over 60 or with chronic conditions to stay home as much as possible.

The announcement emphasized coordinated local response and partnerships. Commissioner President Randy Guy said the county had issued a state of emergency resolution on March 14 to free resources for response efforts and urged residents "not to panic" while staying informed. "This will be a long term effort as we work to keep the virus from spreading," Guy said.

Steve Walker, director of emergency services, said the county's emergency operations center (EOC) has been activated to coordinate resources with partners including the St. Mary's County Health Department, MedStar St. Mary's Hospital, the Sheriff's Department, Maryland State Police, local fire and EMS, the school board and Patuxent River Naval Air Station. "That means we are collaborating with our partners in responding to this emergency by sharing resources and vital information," Walker said.

Brewster described a local testing partnership with MedStar St. Mary's Hospital using an "efficient drive through mechanism" involving the hospital, primary care clinicians and the health department. She warned county officials expect a significant rise in positive cases locally as testing expands and said that, despite national supply shortages, local testing access is increasing. Drive-through testing was scheduled to restart Monday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Brewster said the county is working with primary care clinics and urgent care centers to expand testing access. When asked how many tests had been run in the county, Brewster said she did not know because multiple sites collect tests and those results do not all come through the local health department.

Health officials said long-term care facilities are restricting visitors and prescreening staff to protect residents. Brewster said she had "personally visited with each nursing home" in the county to review preparedness steps and described their measures as "well thought out, are ready, and prepared for what may be ahead." She also said the health department had reduced some services to reassign staff to COVID-19 response and pointed residents to the county COVID-19 webpage (www.smchd.org/coronavirus) and a hotline for questions.

County officials answered questions from the media during a teleconference. In response to whether a statewide "shelter in place" order would change local operations, Brewster said that such an order would "maximize the opportunity to distance ourselves" and would make an impact. On childcare for essential workers, Walker said that providing child care for health care workers, law enforcement and emergency services was "in discussion" but had logistical and the 10-person limit challenges to resolve before implementation.

Officials repeated the hotline number and hours: the St. Mary's County COVID-19 information line, 301-475-4911, available Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Brewster and Walker urged residents to follow state and local guidance, stay calm and maintain physical distancing measures.

Officials did not announce any new local orders during the teleconference; they described actions already taken (the March 14 state of emergency resolution), operational steps underway (EOC activation, testing expansion, long-term care visitor restrictions) and items under consideration (child care for essential workers).