Another 15 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Maine, health officials said Tuesday.
Tuesday’s report brings the cumulative total of coronavirus cases across the state to 4,713. Of those, 4,244 have been confirmed positive, while 469 were classified as “probable cases,” according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
It was the fewest new cases reported since Aug. 30 when the Maine CDC reported 15 new cases across the state.
No new deaths were reported Tuesday, leaving the statewide death toll standing at 134. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact in Maine:
— “Overall, the pandemic has been hard on Maine’s craft brewers, which had been growing steadily in size and number over the past five years. An economic impact study released last fall found that the beer industry and related activities contribute $2 billion to Maine’s economy each year and nearly 16,000 jobs.” — Lori Valigra, BDN
— “Flu season is just around the corner. With the coronavirus pandemic still present in our daily lives, it is perhaps more important than ever to get the flu shot, both for your own health and for the health of all Mainers.” — Sam Schipani, BDN
— “School leaders in Boothbay are delaying the start of in-person learning for some students. On Tuesday, prekindergarten to fifth grade started in-person learning as scheduled, but grades 6 to 12 are 100 percent online for now.” — CBS 13
— “As recreational marijuana sales begin across Maine, medical marijuana stores have to decide whether to hold on to protections only provided to the medical industry or expand their clientele by going recreational.” — David Marino Jr., The Star-Herald
— “Two additional coronavirus outbreaks have been detected in York County as the state’s concern about the virus circulating there increases. The latest outbreaks have been reported at a private club, and at an American Legion hall that hosted a funeral reception.” — Charles Eichacker, BDN
— “The Good Shepherd Food Bank of Hampden has shut down and will reopen Thursday after an employee last on site on Sept. 1 tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Tuesday.” — Nick Sambides Jr., BDN
— “In the early days of the pandemic, doctors noticed something about the people severely ill from COVID-19: Many were obese. The link became more apparent as coronavirus swept across the globe and data mounted, and researchers are still trying to figure out why.” — Candice Choi, The Associated Press
As of Tuesday evening, the coronavirus had sickened 6,324,042 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 189,538 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.