Community transmission of COVID is high throughout most of Maine

By Leela Stockley, Bangor Daily News Staff

The community transmission levels of COVID-19 have significantly increased throughout the state since last month, data released on Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. 

This comes as wastewater data collected from several Maine cities show an increased presence of the virus, rivaling other major U.S. cities, according to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data. 

Community transmission levels are high in Somerset, Aroostook, Penobscot, Washington, Waldo, Knox, Kennebec, Oxford, Cumberland, York and Sagadahoc counties, according to U.S. CDC data. 

High community transmission means that there have been 100 or more positive cases reported per a population of 100,000 people over the past seven days. 

The community transmission levels are substantial in Piscataquis, Hancock, Lincoln, Androscoggin and Franklin counties, data show. 

Substantial community transmission means that there have been 50 to 100 positive cases reported per a population of 100,000 people over the past seven days.

On Friday, another 519 positive cases were reported by the Maine CDC. No new deaths were reported on Friday, leaving the statewide death toll at 2,276. 

That is a slight increase in daily cases reported on Thursday, when 356 new cases were reported, but down from Wednesday, when 605 cases were reported by the Maine CDC. The daily reported case count average appears to be rising slightly since last week, with an average of 227 cases reported per day between April 1 and April 8. A daily average of 309 cases were reported between April 8 and April 15. 

There were 101 Mainers hospitalized with the virus on Friday, with 18 in critical care and four on a ventilator.