The spread of COVID-19 increased rapidly in Montgomery County through July, with new case counts last month surpassing the previous 100-plus days combined, according to information from the county's public health district and emergency management office.
From March 10—when the first COVID-19 case was reported in the county—through June 30, a total of 2,133 infections of county residents were reported. A total of 30,322 COVID-19 tests were administered in the county in that time, resulting in a testing positivity rate of just over 7% by the end of June.
More than 4,000 new cases have been confirmed countywide in the month since, meaning that nearly two thirds of the 6,196 cumulative cases reported as of July 31 were confirmed within the past month. Testing and testing positivity rate also rose in that time. The county reached a total of 51,882 tests administered by July 31 and saw a 11.94% positivity rate—a nearly 70% increase over the rate at the end of June. The seven-day new case average, which had remained below 30 until mid-June, also increased as the summer began. That figure surpassed 60 for the first time July 1 and did not fall below 90 until July 31. Overall, the number of new cases reported daily in the county increased from an average of 18.88 from March 10-June 30 to an average of 131.06 new cases per day in July, although the month's daily case count figures are slightly skewed by a July 15 spike caused by the release of backlogged case information. Even with that date removed, July's daily new case average still remains well above the preceding months, at 107. The percentage of active cases out of the countywide cumulative total remained around the same as new cases were confirmed through the month. As of June 30, 832 of the total 2,133 cases confirmed to that point—39.01%—were active, while 59.31% had recovered or died, according to the county health department. By July 31, 40.55% of all cases remained active, while 56.71% were inactive. The number of Montgomery County resident deaths related to COVID-19 also nearly doubled in July. The county's COVID-19 death toll reached 67 by July 31, while a total of 36 deaths related to the disease had been reported by the end of June, representing a more than 86% increase in fatalities in just 31 days. Below are daily figures for active and recovered cases as well as daily new cases and deaths in Montgomery County through the month of July.