Another 27 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Maine, health officials said Friday.
Friday’s report brings the total coronavirus cases in Maine to 4,115. Of those, 3,697 have been confirmed positive, while 418 were classified as “probable cases,” according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
The agency revised Thursday’s cumulative total to 4,088, down from 4,089, meaning there was an increase of 26 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.
No new deaths were reported Friday, leaving the statewide death toll at 126. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.
So far, 399 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, six people are currently hospitalized, with two in critical care and one on a ventilator.
Meanwhile, 12 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 3,604. That means there are 385 active and “probable” cases in the state, which is up from 371 on Thursday.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine.
—“More and more, Americans seem pushed to their limits. They’re feuding about politics, protests, the pandemic. Fights about whether or not to wear a mask are playing out both publicly and on social media. A crisis, such as a pandemic, that causes the type of festering tension that seems to drive these public outbursts has been described by some mental health experts as an “anger incubator.” And it’s a lot to manage, they say.” — Abigail Curtis and Nina Mahaleris, BDN
—“A Guilford company that makes swabs needed for coronavirus testing has received another $51.2 million from the federal government to ramp up its production.” — Christopher Burns, BDN
—“An employee of the Maine Veterans’ Homes location in Bangor has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the organization. All residents and staff who lived or worked in the same unit as that employee are now being tested for the virus after the employee was confirmed to have it on Thursday, according to Josh Scroggins, director of development and communications for Maine Veterans’ Homes.” — Charles Eichacker, BDN
—“Coronavirus has infected Black Mainers at more than 10 times the rate of their white counterparts — a racial disparity that’s more pronounced here than anywhere in the U.S. But now state officials are researching ways to disaggregate health data among racial subpopulations, acknowledging various health outcomes between persons of color which had previously been grouped together for data purposes.” — Nick Schroeder, BDN
—“Maine has spent more than $33 million on the masks, gowns and other protective supplies that are meant to keep health care workers safe since the coronavirus pandemic struck in March. But in the middle of the greatest public health crisis in generations, the state has also faced fluctuating prices and shipping delays as it has competed for those goods with many other buyers from across the country and globe.” — Charles Eichacker, BDN
—“Maine Maritime Academy of Castine has suspended its football program indefinitely while the school’s administration weighs the overall financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the college’s programs and operations.” — Ernie Clark, BDN
As of Friday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 5,297,876 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 168,181 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.