Anxiety about the global coronavirus outbreak has catapulted health care to the issue of most concern to more Maryland residents, according to a new poll.

Since January, the number of residents who described health care as their top concern tripled to 17 percent, according to a Gonzales Maryland Poll released late Wednesday. The figure was second to crime.

Fears over the threat of covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, fueled the change, pollster Patrick E. Gonzales said.

No cases have been confirmed in Maryland, Virginia or D.C., and the U.S. threat remains low. As of Wednesday afternoon, 21 Maryland residents were tested for covid-19. Of those, 10 came back negative for the disease and 11 results were pending, according to the Maryland Department of Health website page tracking the virus.

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said last week that he would request an additional $10 million for emergency preparations for a response to the coronavirus.

Nearly a quarter of Maryland residents, 24 percent, cited crime as their No. 1 issue, the Gonzales poll found. That was followed by health care at 17 percent, education at 12 percent, taxes at 11 percent, corruption at 9 percent and the environment at 8 percent, the poll found.

Republicans, Democrats and independents were all most concerned about crime, but after that Republicans and independents said taxes were most on their mind.

Gonzales Research & Media Services surveyed 827 registered voters in Maryland, from Feb. 22 to Feb. 28, over landlines and cellphones. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Erin Cox contributed to this report.