Sangerville

Another Mainer dies as 245 new coronavirus cases are reported across the state

By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News Staff

This story will be updated.

Another Mainer has died as health officials on Tuesday reported 245 new coronavirus cases across the state.

Tuesday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 9,363. Of those, 8,411 have been confirmed positive, while 952 were classified as “probable cases,” according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency revised Monday’s cumulative total to 9,118, up from 9,117, meaning there was a net increase of 246 over the previous day’s report, state data show. As the Maine CDC continues to investigate previously reported cases, some are determined to have not been the coronavirus, or coronavirus cases not involving Mainers. Those are removed from the state’s cumulative total. The Bangor Daily News reports on the number of new cases reported to the Maine CDC in the previous 24 hours, rather than the increase of daily cumulative cases.

New cases were reported in Androscoggin (27), Aroostook (1), Cumberland (60), Franklin (6), Hancock (9), Kennebec (17), Knox (6), Lincoln (7), Oxford (9), Penobscot (24), Sagadahoc (4), Somerset (20), Washington (6) and York (44) counties, state data show. Information about where an additional five cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.

Only two counties — Piscataquis and Waldo — reported no new cases.

The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 190.3, up from 179.3 a day ago, up from 162.1 a week ago and up from 30.4 a month ago.

Health officials have warned Mainers that “forceful and widespread” community transmission is being seen throughout the state. Five counties are seeing high community transmission: Franklin, Knox, Somerset, Waldo and Washington counties.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel.

The latest death involved a York County resident, bringing the statewide death toll to 166. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 589 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 73 people are currently hospitalized, with 29 in critical care and eight on ventilators. 

Meanwhile, 195 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 7,025. That means there are 2,172 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, which is up from 2,122 on Monday. It’s yet another record high.

A majority of the cases — 5,552 — have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Tuesday, there have been 768,672 negative test results out of 777,043 overall. About 1.4 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 3,330 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths — 70 — have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (1,231), Aroostook (88), Franklin (163), Hancock (177), Kennebec (603), Knox (172), Lincoln (113), Oxford (248), Penobscot (516), Piscataquis (24), Sagadahoc (122), Somerset (361), Waldo (194), Washington (156) and York (1,860) counties. Information about where an additional five cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.

As of Tuesday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 11,218,305 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 247,263 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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