The BDN is making the most crucial coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its economic impact in Maine free for all readers. Click here for all coronavirus stories. You can join others committed to safeguarding this vital public service by purchasing a subscription or donating directly to the newsroom.
One Mainer has died as 38 more cases of the coronavirus are detected in Maine, health officials said on Friday.
There have now been 3,636 cases across all of Maine’s counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 3,598 on Thursday.
Of those, 3,239 have been confirmed positive, while 397 are likely positive, according to the Maine CDC.
New cases were tallied in Androscoggin (2), Aroostook (1), Cumberland (23), Franklin (1), Kennebec (1), Knox (1), Lincoln (2), Oxford (1), Somerset (1) Penobscot (1) and York (4) counties. Daily changes in county-level data may vary from new case reports as the Maine CDC continues to investigate cases.
The death toll now stands at 115. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60. The death announced Friday was a woman in her 80s from Penobscot County.
Meanwhile, 20 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 3,114. That means there are 407 active and likely cases in the state, up from 390 on Thursday.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine.
—“As school districts across Maine develop and implement COVID safety plans, they will receive millions of dollars in financial aid from the state through the federal coronavirus relief package.” — Eesha Pendharkar, BDN
—“Drug-related deaths in Maine were already increasing, and became worse during the coronavirus pandemic, according to state officials.” — Eesha Pendharkar, BDN
—“The Colonial Athletic Association and America East are going to suspend their fall sports seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic.” — Larry Mahoney, BDN
—“Maine plans to maintain travel restrictions on residents of Massachusetts and Rhode Island despite impatience from some hotel operators in the state.” — The Associated Press
—“The newly completed Shotwell Drive-In will screen its first movie this weekend on the site of the former Rockport Elementary School. After getting approval from town officials, the Points North Institute ― the group behind Camden International Film Festival ― developed and constructed the drive-in from scratch in about six weeks.” — Lauren Abbate, BDN
As of Friday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 3,627,057 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 138,988 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.