Maine reports 46 new COVID-19 cases, as outbreaks grow
Maine reported 46 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, the largest spike in new cases in more than two weeks.
The figures include 15 cases in Oxford County, while York County, the site of numerous outbreaks, reported 8 new cases. Cumberland County had five new cases. There were no additional deaths.
A couple sits in Bell Buoy Park in Portland. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 51 cases on Sept. 2 and 55 cases on Aug. 28, but since Sept. 3, daily new cases have mostly been in the 20s or 30s. The seven-day daily average of 31.9 is the highest since July 2.
Since the pandemic began, the state has reported 5,005 cases of COVID-19 and 138 deaths.
On Thursday, the Maine CDC reported an outbreak at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, with 18 cases, 13 of them Maine residents.
The outbreak is believed to be related to a commuter van from Sanford, where seven of nine people who used the van contracted COVID-19.
Gary Hildreth, spokesman for the shipyard, said in a statement that “those in the vanpool did not wear cloth face masks while commuting to and from work.”
The Maine CDC reported that 16 of the 18 people in the shipyard outbreak were employees, while the other two were close household contacts of employees. Of those who have fallen ill in connection with the shipyard outbreak, 13 are from Maine, four from New Hampshire and one from Massachusetts.
Other outbreaks reported Thursday include three cases at Baker Company in Sanford and four cases at Buffalo Wild Wings in Auburn.
This story will be updated.
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