MAINE, USA — KEY MAINE CORONAVIRUS FACTS
- As of Wednesday, 158 Mainers have died out of 8,202 total COVID-19 cases. 7,300 of these cases are confirmed by test and 902 are probable.
- 545 Mainers have been hospitalized, 6,226 Mainers have recovered.
- Stage 3 began on July 1; here are the Stage 3 reopening checklists for businesses
- VERIFY: Requirement to wear a face mask does not violate constitutional rights
- Maine is open for business, here's what you need to know
- Read about all the important coronavirus-related orders currently in place in Maine
- Going out? CDC shares tips to stay safe amid coronavirus pandemic
- Gov. Mills' administration releases guidance for town meetings and elections during COVID-19 pandemic
- Filing for unemployment still dominating discussions around Maine. Here's our story on how to file for Maine unemployment. You can scroll down for more resources available to Mainers
- If you are a business owner, please register your business. If you want to support a local business, enter your zip code and find out what’s OPEN NEAR YOU.
- Subscribe to 'break time with NEWS CENTER Maine' our new newsletter. Delivered to your email inbox for your break time.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11
The Maine CDC reported two additional deaths of people with COVID-19, bringing the state death toll to 158.
The Maine CDC has not yet reported the ages or counties of residence of the people who died.
Of the 8,202 total COVID-19 cases in Maine, 7,300 are confirmed by test and 902 are probable.
545 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point during their COVID-19 illnesses.
6,226 Mainers have recovered from COVID-19.
There will not be a Maine CDC coronavirus briefing on Wednesday. The next one is scheduled for Thursday.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10
The Maine CDC reported four additional deaths of people with COVID-19, bringing the state death toll to 156.
The additional deaths reported Tuesday are a woman in her 90s from York County, a man in his 90s from York County, a woman in her 80s from Somerset County, and a man in his 70s from Kennebec County.
Of the 8,060 total COVID-19 cases in Maine, 7,173 are confirmed by test and 887 are probable.
538 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point during their COVID-19 illnesses.
6,100 Mainers have recovered from COVID-19.
Maine CDC briefings will move to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule but, this week, the next briefing will be Thursday, not Wednesday because of Veteran’s Day. The Maine CDC says it's unclear what that means for this Friday, but updates are sure to follow.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9
The Maine CDC did not report any additional deaths of people with COVID-19. The state death toll stands at 152.
The Maine CDC reported 204 additional cases Monday, a new single-day case record for the state.
Of the 7,897 total COVID-19 cases in Maine, 7,031 are confirmed by test and 866 are probable.
529 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point during their COVID-19 illnesses.
6,020 Mainers have recovered from COVID-19.
- Tips for safely celebrating Thanksgiving amid COVID-19 pandemic
- Looking ahead to winter, Mills administration releases update to COVID-19 community sports checklist
- Biden-Harris transition team announce COVID-19 advisory board
- Gov. Mills: Face coverings must now be worn in public settings regardless of physical distance
- UPDATE: Four Maine counties categorized 'yellow' in latest school designations
Monday Coronavirus Briefing
The Maine CDC reported an additional 204 cases on Monday, marking the single largest one-day increase in cases since the pandemic reached Maine in March.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, said just in the past 30 days, 60 people have been hospitalized with COVID-19; currently, 49 people are hospitalized. Fourteen are in the ICU, and five are on ventilators.
Shah says just a few weeks ago in Maine, the hospitalization rate was 1 per 100,000 people, but it's now more than tripled and stands at 3.65 hospitalizations per every 100,000 people. The national hospitalization rate is 15 people per every 100,000 people.
New Outbreaks
- KidsPeace in Ellsworth: Four cases. Laboratory tests across the facility are outstanding, and Shah says they'll have more information about additional cases, if any, as more results come in.
- Pentecostals of Jonesport Church in Washington County: A total of nine cases are associated with the church.
- Ruby's, a restaurant in York: A total of nine cases, six of which have been identified among patrons, and three among staff members.
- Portland Pie in Windham: Three cases associated with the restaurant.
Open Outbreak Updates
- Russell Park Rehabilitation and Living Center in Lewiston: There are now 72 cases associated with the facility: 45 are among residents, and 27 are among staff, one of which includes an outside vendor. There are two rounds of testing underway at the facility, one on Monday and another on Tuesday. After testing, Shah says they'll have a better sense of how the outbreak has evolved.
- Durgin Pines in York County: 33 cases. The Maine CDC is working with the facility to make sure their PPE and testing needs are being met.
Testing
The current seven-day positivity rate for PCR testing stands at 2.14 percent. Two weeks ago, that rate was 0.66 percent. The national positivity rate is 7 percent.
"In one incubation period of COVID-19, the positivity rate in Maine has more than tripled from 0.66 percent to where it stands now at 2.14 percent."
The testing volume in Maine stands at 573 tests for every 100,000 people. The national average is 387 tests per every 100,000 people.
Maine DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew
On Monday, Maine DHHS announced the launch of two new COVID-19 testing sites in Maine through a partnership with Promerica Health. The additional sites expand access to standard and rapid COVID-19 testing to people in Maine who think they need a test, regardless of symptoms and without the need for a referral from a health provider.
“At a time of rising COVID-19 cases in Maine, these new testing sites are especially important in identifying and isolating people with this contagious and deadly disease,” Lambrew said. “The new Promerica Health sites expand our already robust testing capacity. We thank Promerica Health for helping to make this happen.”
Maine has established more than two dozen "swab and send" testing locations that offer molecular testing at no charge. For a list of all sites providing tests to people without symptoms and without requiring a provider referral, visit the Keep Maine Healthy website.
On the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine that appears to be 90 percent effective, Shah, like other health officials in the U.S., is cautiously optimistic.
"We need to see all the data," Shah said. "We should not be conducting scientific policy through press releases."
"Based on what I’ve read based on what was made publicly available, it’s encouraging, but we need to see all of it. We’ve got to make sure we all have insight into the other data that might exist that wasn’t put forth today. Once we’ve got that complete picture, then we’ll be able to really analyze it. What was released was encouraging. It sounds favorable. But this is the beginning of the process, by no means the end of the analysis."
Shah says the Maine CDC and Mills administration isn't waiting for the authorization or approval of the vaccine, if it does, in order to plan.
The vaccine requires ultra-cold storage, but it can be taken out of cold storage for a number of days during the administration process. Shah says they have been briefed by the U.S. CDC about the Pfizer vaccine, and they say it's the type of vaccine where you want to bring the people to the vaccine, rather the vaccine to the people.
Shah says they are working to expand the scope of their ultra-cold storage and the Maine CDC has already talked to various hospitals in Maine that have such facilities, and they're also working to acquire additional freezers to bolster their internal capacity to store the vaccine.
There are concerns with the rural areas of the state, in terms of the vaccine distribution, so the Maine CDC is working to utilize mobile efforts as well.
"It is definitely a logistics challenge," Shah says, "but this is what we do at the Maine CDC and at DHHS—we take tough logistics challenges and we take them head-on."
Shah says as cases in Maine continue to increase, his biggest concern in "unchecked community transmission." He said the ground in Maine has been seeded with a lot of covid cases, and says he's concerned that there will now start to be outbreaks that pop up across the state because of that high level of seeding.
"When you combine this community transmission, this seeding, what can happen is today's community transmission, can become tomorrow's outbreaks," Shah said. "So, my biggest fear is that today's community transition will soon start to become and snowball into tomorrow's outbreaks."
Shah says we're likely to see outbreaks in varied settings—rather than what we've seen thus far in congregate care facilities, etc.—such as households, family gatherings, and any type of place where people are together.
Maine CDC briefings will move to a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule but, this week, the next briefing will be Thursday, not Wednesday because of Veteran’s Day. The Maine CDC says it's unclear what that means for this Friday, but updates are sure to follow.
RESOURCES
- Maine food resources and retail adjustments
- How to file for Maine unemployment
- Beginning of plan to reopen Maine schools
- Will you get a stimulus check if you receive Social Security or disability, or didn’t file a tax return?
- Stimulus check calculator: See how much you'll likely be getting
- Millions of Americans will soon get stimulus checks. But here's who won't.
- Maine small businesses can apply for 'forgivable loans'
Coronavirus, COVID-19 Background
The official name for the coronavirus is “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes is named “coronavirus disease 2019” or “COVID-19” for short. Coronavirus is a family of viruses, which can infect people and animals. The viruses can cause the common cold or more serious diseases like SARS, MERS, and COVID-19.
The CDC says symptoms of the coronavirus include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, and in some cases sore throat.
The CDC says there are simple steps to take to reduce the possible spread of COVID-19:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
- Stay home while you're sick and avoid close contact with others
The Maine Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is holding coronavirus briefings on Tuesdays and Thursdays with director Dr. Nirav Shah to keep the public up to date on the situation in Maine