Another Mainer dies as 186 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 Monday reported 186 new coronavirus cases across the state.
Monday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 10,544. Of those, 9,471 have been confirmed positive, while 1,073 were classified as “probable cases,” according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency revised Sunday’s cumulative total to 10,358, down from 10,359, meaning there was a net increase of 185 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 (15), Cumberland (43), Franklin (1), Hancock (1), Kennebec (28), Knox (6), Lincoln (5), Oxford (7), Penobscot (18), Sagadahoc (2), Somerset (7), Waldo (3) and York (49) counties, state data show. Information about where an additional case was reported wasn’t immediately available.
Only three counties — Aroostook, Piscataquis and Washington — reported no new cases.
The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 205.9, up from 204.4 a day ago, up from 189 a week ago and up from 33 a month ago.
A Lincoln County resident has died, bringing the statewide death toll to 177. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.
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.
So far, 674 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Information about those who are currently hospitalized wasn’t immediately available.
Meanwhile, 195 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 7,986. That means there are 2,381 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, which is down from 2,392 on Sunday.
A majority of the cases — 6,286 — have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.
As of Friday, there have been 795,936 negative test results out of 808,227 overall. About 1.46 percent of all tests have come back positive, the most recently available Maine CDC data show.
The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 3,599 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths — 71 — have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (1,390), Aroostook (95), Franklin (196), Hancock (214), Kennebec (696), Knox (194), Lincoln (139), Oxford (292), Penobscot (666), Piscataquis (35), Sagadahoc (136), Somerset (409), Waldo (213), Washington (178) and York (2,089) counties. Information about where an additional three cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.
As of Monday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 12,249,575 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 256,798 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.