Maine sees 204 new coronavirus cases across the state

This story has been updated to reflect revisions in data released on Monday.

Another 204 coronavirus cases have been reported across the state, Maine health officials said Monday.

Monday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 7,888. Of those, 7,030 have been confirmed positive, while 858 were classified as “probable cases,” according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency revised Sunday’s cumulative total to 7,684, down from 7,693, meaning there was a net increase of 195 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 cases reported to the Maine CDC in the previous 24 hours, rather than the increase of daily cumulative cases.

New cases were reported in Androscoggin (52), Aroostook (1), Cumberland (62), Franklin (3), Hancock (6), Kennebec (13), Oxford (1), Penobscot (16), Sagadahoc (3), Somerset (13), Waldo (2), Washington (10) and York (21) counties, state data show. Information about where an additional case was reported wasn’t immediately available.

Only three counties — Knox, Lincoln and Piscataquis — reported no new cases.

The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 160.4, up from 144.1 a day ago, 102 a week ago and up from 31.7 a month ago.

Health officials have warned Mainers that “forceful and widespread” community transmission is being seen throughout the state.

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.

No new deaths were reported on Monday, leaving the statewide death toll at 152. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 532 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Forty-nine are currently hospitalized, with 14 in critical care and five on a ventilator. 

Meanwhile, 101 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 6,020. That means there are 1,699 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, which is up from 1,606 on Sunday. It’s yet another record high for active cases.

A majority of the cases — 4,550 — 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 700,467 negative test results out of 709,932 overall. Almost 1.3 percent of all tests have come back positive, the most recently available Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 2,998 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths — 70 — have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (1,006), Aroostook (78), Franklin (128), Hancock (107), Kennebec (461), Knox (141), Lincoln (80), Oxford (195), Penobscot (386), Piscataquis (18), Sagadahoc (100), Somerset (286), Waldo (177), Washington (114) and York (1,611) counties. Information about where an additional two cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.

As of Monday evening, the coronavirus had sickened 10,022,557 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 237,860 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.