Another 209 coronavirus cases have been reported in Maine, as the state on Friday marked a year since the first Mainer contracted the virus.
It was the first time in two weeks when Maine saw new cases rise above 200. Since January, virus transmission has plummeted, but that downward trend has stabilized and new cases have hovered in the low triple digits, a rate well above that seen throughout most of 2020.
That comes as the state has ramped up its vaccination drive on the anniversary of when the first Mainer was confirmed to have the virus.
“You know, we have suffered great hardship and loss in the last twelve months as a state and a nation, but the greatest grief is borne by the families whose loved ones are no longer with us because of the deadly coronavirus,” Gov. Janet Mills said Friday.
TRACKING THE CORONAVIRUS IN MAINE
She acknowledged the tiredness and frustration that has come with a year of restrictions meant to curb virus transmission, but said that the state is “turning the corner” in the fight against the virus, with more and more vaccines being administered.
The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 2,355. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. That’s up from 2,324 on Thursday.
No new deaths were reported Friday, leaving the statewide death toll at 723. It was the third day in a row when no new deaths were reported.
Friday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 46,650, according to the Maine CDC. That’s up from 46,441 on Thursday.
Of those, 36,554 have been confirmed positive, while 10,296 were classified as “probable cases,” the Maine CDC reported.
The new case rate statewide Friday was 1.56 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 348.55.
Maine’s seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 172.7, down from 174.9 a day ago, up from 166.7 a week ago and down from 207.3 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.
The most cases have been detected in Mainers in their 20s, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases and deaths have been recorded in women than men. For a complete breakdown of the age and sex demographics of cases, hospitalizations and deaths, use the interactive graphic below.
So far, 1,590 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Currently, 74 people are hospitalized; of those, 25 are in critical care and 9 are on ventilators. Out of 319 total ventilators, 247 are available.
The total statewide hospitalization rate on Friday was 11.88 patients per 10,000 residents.
Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (4,963), Aroostook (1,305), Cumberland (13,121), Franklin (929), Hancock (957), Kennebec (3,846), Knox (687), Lincoln (602), Oxford (2,306), Penobscot (4,146), Piscataquis (344), Sagadahoc (907), Somerset (1,283), Waldo (629), Washington (734) and York (9,891) counties.
For a complete breakdown of the county by county data, use the interactive graphic below.
An additional 8,735 Mainers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours. As of Friday, 302,301 Mainers have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 178,337 have received two doses.
As of Friday, 1,983,158 COVID-19 tests have been administered and the statewide positivity rate is 2.80 percent.
New Hampshire reported 301 new cases on Friday and four deaths. Vermont reported 129 new cases and no deaths, and Massachusetts reported 1,809 new cases and 42 deaths.
As of Friday evening, the coronavirus had sickened 29,340,202 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 532,326 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
Nationwide, 101 million doses of the vaccine have been administered, according to Bloomberg.