3 more Mainers die as 283 new coronavirus cases are reported across the state

By Lynne Fort, Bangor Daily News Staff

Another three Mainers have died as health officials on Saturday reported 283 new coronavirus cases across the state.

The latest deaths bring the statewide death toll to 227. Not all deaths reported Saturday 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.

Saturday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 13,127. Of those, 11,640 have been confirmed positive, while 1,487 were classified as “probable cases,” the Maine CDC reported.

The agency confirmed Friday’s cumulative total 12,844, meaning there was a net increase of 292 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 (14), Aroostook (5), Cumberland (93), Franklin (2), Hancock (3), Kennebec (35), Knox (7), Lincoln (5), Oxford (15), Penobscot (14), Piscataquis (3), Sagadahoc (10), Somerset (8), Waldo (12) and York (65) counties, state data show. Information about where an additional five cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.

Only one county — Washington — reported no new cases.

The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 265.3, up from 227.9 a day ago, up from 164.3 a week ago and up from 127.1 a month ago.

Saturday’s report marks the ninth time in 11 days when more than 200 new cases were reported.

It’s not year clear whether travelers over the Thanksgiving holiday have contributed to the ever-higher-surging virus transmission, but public health officials have warned that the holiday season presents a risk as Mainers look to visit family and friends.

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, 760 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. As of Friday, 164 people were hospitalized in the state, with 45 of those people in the intensive care unit and 17 on ventilators. 

Meanwhile, 116 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 9,993. That means there are 2,907 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, which is up from 2,743 on Friday.

A majority of the cases — 7,799 — 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 had been 936,582 negative test results out of 954,351 overall. About 1.8 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 4,097 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths — 72 — have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (1,673), Aroostook (178), Franklin (251), Hancock (310), Kennebec (962), Knox (226), Lincoln (178), Oxford (451), Penobscot (1,057), Piscataquis (60), Sagadahoc (180), Somerset (487), Waldo (256), Washington (197) and York (2,559) counties. Information about where an additional five cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.

As of Saturday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 14,373,720 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 279,008 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.