5 more Mainers die as coronavirus cases climb above 500 for 4th straight day
By Christopher Burns, Bangor Daily News Staff
This story will be updated.
Another five Mainers have died as health officials on Friday reported 572 more coronavirus cases across the state.
The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 5,336. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. That’s up from 5,165 on Thursday.
It’s the fourth straight day when Maine has seen coronavirus cases soar above 500 amid the latest spike in virus transmission.
A woman and four men have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 763. Of those, one was in their 80s, two in their 60s and two in their 50s, while two were from Androscoggin County, one from Kennebec County, one from Somerset County and one from York County.
Friday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 56,525, according to the Maine CDC. That’s up from 55,953 on Thursday.
Of those, 42,578 have been confirmed positive, while 13,947 were classified as “probable cases,” the Maine CDC reported.
The new case rate statewide Friday was 4.27 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 422.33.
Maine’s seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 446.6, up from 427 a day ago, up from 326.4 a week ago and up from 190 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.
The most cases have been detected in Mainers in their 20s, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases and deaths have been recorded in women than men.
So far, 1,761 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.
The total statewide hospitalization rate on Friday was 13.16 patients per 10,000 residents.
Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (6,259), Aroostook (1,544), Cumberland (15,209), Franklin (1,122), Hancock (1,185), Kennebec (5,029), Knox (890), Lincoln (749), Oxford (2,888), Penobscot (5,015), Piscataquis (412), Sagadahoc (1,146), Somerset (1,640), Waldo (766), Washington (807) and York (11,862) counties. Information about where an additional two cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.
An additional 10,624 Mainers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours. As of Friday, 551,235 Mainers have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 412,862 have received a final dose.
As of Friday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 31,495,924 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 565,289 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.