Another Mainer dies as 94 new coroanvirus cases are reported across the state

Another Mainer has died as health officials on Monday reported 94 new coronavirus cases across the state.

Monday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 6,799. Of those, 6,039 have been confirmed positive, while 760 were classified as “probable cases,” according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency revised Sunday’s cumulative total to 6,705, down from 6,715, meaning there was an increase of 84 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. The Bangor Daily News reports on the number of new daily cases reported to the Maine CDC, rather than the increase of daily cumulative cases.

New cases were reported in Androscoggin (9), Cumberland (23), Franklin (4), Hancock (2), Kennebec (14), Knox (5), Oxford (3), Penobscot (18), Somerset (10), Waldo (2), Washington (5) and York (9) counties, state data show.

Only four counties — Aroostook, Lincoln, Piscataquis and Sagadahoc — reported no new cases.

On Saturday, a disruption in the data delivery system that reports COVID-19 results to the Maine CDC resulted in Sunday’s update to include fewer cases than would have been reported in the previous 24 hours, Maine CDC spokesperson Robert Long said Sunday.

As a result, Monday’s report includes more than 24 hours worth of data, he said.

The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 83.1, up from 44.9 a week ago and up from 31.3 a month ago. It’s the highest seven-day average yet recorded in Maine. Before this past week’s surge, the previous record high was recorded in late May, when it topped out at 52.6, according to Maine CDC data.

Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah warned last week that Maine is seeing “forceful and widespread” community transmission of the coronavirus throughout the state and that Mainers “take action now” to halt the virus’ spread.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel.

In response to the surge in new cases, Gov. Janet Mills on Sunday rolled back Monday’s scheduled reopening of bars, set a 50-person limit for gatherings and reimposed travel restrictions on people entering the state from Connecticut, New York and New Jersey. That came just days after Mills extended her civil state of emergency for the eighth time. The order now expires — unless she renews it again — Nov. 27.

The latest death involved an Androscoggin County resident, bringing the statewide death toll to 148. It’s the second coronavirus death reported since Saturday and the first deaths since Oct. 17. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 495 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 29 people are currently hospitalized, with eight in critical care and one on a ventilator.

Meanwhile, 34 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 5,588. That means there are 1,063 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, which is up from 1,014 on Sunday. It’s the highest number of active cases Maine has seen since the pandemic began.

A majority of the cases — 3,993 — have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Monday, there have been 647,623 negative test results out of 655,868 overall. About 1.2 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 2,660 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths — 70 — have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (886), Aroostook (67), Franklin (90), Hancock (76), Kennebec (365), Knox (99), Lincoln (65), Oxford (182), Penobscot (318), Piscataquis (11), Sagadahoc (88), Somerset (208), Waldo (156), Washington (72) and York (1,455) counties. Information about where an additional case was reported wasn’t immediately available.

As of Monday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 9,229,335 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 231,125 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.