4 more Mainers die as 237 new coronavirus cases are reported across the state
By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News Staff
This story will be updated.
Another four Mainers have died as health officials on Wednesday reported 237 new coronavirus cases across the state.
Wednesday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 12,208. Of those, 10,870 have been confirmed positive, while 1,338 were classified as “probable cases,” the Maine CDC reported.
The agency revised Tuesday’s cumulative total to 11,971, down from 11,976, meaning there was a net increase of 12,203 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 (16), Aroostook (5), Cumberland (37), Franklin (6), Hancock (27), Kennebec (22), Knox (5), Lincoln (5), Oxford (16), Penobscot (36), Piscataquis (3), Sagadahoc (2), Somerset (3), Waldo (2), Washington (3) and York (38) counties, state data show. Information about where an additional 11 cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.
The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 169.4, up from 168.4 a day ago, down from 220.4 a week ago and up from 78.7 a month ago.
A Hancock County resident, a Kennebec County resident, an Oxford County resident and a Penobscot County resident have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 218. Not all deaths reported Wednesday occurred in the past 24 hours, and the death total also includes those newly confirmed to have involved the coronavirus. 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. Every county is seeing high community transmission, which the Maine CDC defines as a case rate of 16 or more cases per 10,000 people.
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, 725 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Information about those who are currently hospitalized wasn’t immediately available Tuesday.
Meanwhile, 200 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 9,564. That means there are 2,426 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, which is up from 2,398 on Tuesday.
A majority of the cases — 7,280 — 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 897,947 negative test results out of 913,816 overall. Nearly 1.7 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 3,905 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths — 71 — have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (1,609), Aroostook (151), Franklin (229), Hancock (277), Kennebec (839), Knox (213), Lincoln (161), Oxford (366), Penobscot (944), Piscataquis (49), Sagadahoc (151), Somerset (464), Waldo (232), Washington (196) and York (2,404) counties.
As of Wednesday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 13,728,154 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 270,691 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.