Two deaths, 142 additional COVID-19 cases reported in Maine
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 142 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday as well as two additional deaths.
To date, 158 deaths in Maine have been linked to the coronavirus. While Maine’s death rate from COVID-19 remains among the lowest in the country, the number of fatalities tied to the virus is increasing in Maine — including four additional deaths reported Tuesday — as the virus surges again in the state.
The Maine CDC has tracked 8,202 total cases since the virus was first detected in Maine in mid-March. Of that total, 7,300 are confirmed while 902 were listed as “probable” cases on Wednesday. The 142 new cases reported Wednesday is down from 204 on Monday and 172 on Tuesday.
Maine’s rolling seven-day average of new cases fell slightly to 163.7 on Wednesday, down from 165. But that is six times higher than the 27.1 rolling seven-day average reported four weeks ago and nearly three times higher than the rate from two weeks ago, reflecting rapid spread of the virus in the state.
On Tuesday, the Maine CDC said that five counties in Maine — Franklin, Knox, Waldo, Somerset and Washington — were experiencing “high or substantial community transmission” of the virus. And Maine had the nation’s highest virus reproduction rate, also known as the R number, according to the website rt.live that tracks the spread of the virus using publicly available data.
State health officials are urging Maine residents to be vigilant about wearing face coverings, which are required in all public settings, as well as to maintain physical distancing.
This story will be updated.
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