Another 203 coronavirus cases have been reported across the state, Maine health officials said Wednesday.
The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 2,500. 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 2,444 on Tuesday.
Despite the steep drop in new infections since January, Maine has seen case rates stabilize in recent weeks and even tick up over the past several days.
That prompted Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah to warn Tuesday that the state could see a resurgence in virus transmission, noting that the source of the latest uptick in cases isn’t coming from outbreaks but higher community transmission.
TRACKING THE CORONAVIRUS IN MAINE
No new deaths were reported Wednesday, leaving the statewide death toll at 725.
Wednesday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 47,591, according to the Maine CDC. That’s up from 47,388 on Tuesday.
Of those, 36,874 have been confirmed positive, while 10,717 were classified as “probable cases,” the Maine CDC reported.
The new case rate statewide Wednesday was 1.52 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 355.58.
Maine’s seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 193.1, up from 190.6 a day ago, up from 166.1 a week ago and up from 147.6 a month ago. That average peaked on Jan. 14 at 625.3.
A data transmission error on Wednesday morning caused the Maine CDC to initially report a much smaller increase in new cases, correcting it mid-morning.
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, 1,612 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Of those, 84 are currently hospitalized, with 25 in critical care and eight on a ventilator. Currently, 112 out of 386 critical care beds and 253 out of 319 ventilators are available. Meanwhile, 446 alternative ventilators are available.
The total statewide hospitalization rate on Wednesday was 12.04 patients per 10,000 residents.
Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (5,028), Aroostook (1,327), Cumberland (13,343), Franklin (945), Hancock (972), Kennebec (3,971), Knox (730), Lincoln (614), Oxford (2,346), Penobscot (4,257), Piscataquis (365), Sagadahoc (925), Somerset (1,302), Waldo (653), Washington (744) and York (10,065) counties. Information about where an additional four cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.
For a complete breakdown of the county by county data, use the interactive graphic below.
Out of 10,783 COVID-19 tests reported to the Maine CDC in the previous 24 hours, 1.7 percent came back positive. Overall, 1,939,292 tests have been administered and the statewide positivity rate is 2.65 percent.
As of Wednesday, 330,123 Mainers have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 194,091 have received two doses.
New Hampshire reported 257 new cases on Wednesday and three deaths. Vermont reported 55 new cases and one death, and Massachusetts reported 1,202 new cases and 15 deaths.
As of Wednesday evening, the coronavirus had sickened 29,602,809 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 537,945 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.