Maine reports 59 new cases of COVID-19, the largest daily spike since May

Maine reported 59 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. This is the biggest one-day spike since May.

York, Cumberland, Androscoggin County reported bulk Of 16 new cases in York, 15 in Cumberland, and 14 in Androscoggin. No additional deaths have been reported.

The 7-day daily average for new cases was 33, compared to 36.1 on September 23.

Robert Long, a spokesman for the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said there were no new outbreaks and it was unclear what caused the day’s surge. He said the CDC is investigating Wednesday’s trends and that the institution’s director, Dr. Nirav Shah, will report the results during a media briefing on Thursday.

“The amount of testing continues to grow, so one hypothesis is that the more tests you have, the more cases you have,” Long said. “But that doesn’t fully explain the state-wide case count (Wednesday).”

Maine’s testing capacity continues to grow, with 459 tests per 100,000 population compared to approximately 250 tests per 100,000 population in late August. Maine has strengthened its testing by adding 27 “swab and send” sites throughout the state. On this site, you can take the test without a doctor’s note and usually get the result within 48 hours.

Maine is one of 13 states that have achieved the test goals set by the Harvard Global Health Institute. According to the institute, all of New England, as well as New York and New Jersey, have been thoroughly tested, but 33 states are well below the standards needed to potentially control the spread of the virus.

Pedestrians pass each other on Oak Street in downtown Portland on Monday. Brianna Soukup / Staff Photographer

In Maine, the percentage of tests that return positive remains low, another indicator that public health professionals closely monitor. The positive rate in Maine on Wednesday was 0.49% over seven days, well below the national average of about 4.5%.

With a low positive rate, public health workers are more likely to delay infection by isolating most of the sick and their close contacts.

Despite the positive indicators of Maine, Wednesday’s surge “clearly reminds us that the virus is still present throughout Maine,” Long said.

Maine reported more than 50 cases a day on September 2, with 51 cases, and beyond Wednesday with 65 cases on May 22.Maximum daily spikes There were 78 new cases, which occurred on May 19.

According to the main CDC, Wednesday’s net new case was 54 if it later turned out to be negative, taking into account possible cases from the previous day.

Currently, 13 people are hospitalized throughout the state, seven of whom are in the intensive care unit.

As another development, Governor Janet Mills extended the civil emergency for 30 days until October 29, as the public health crisis continued. Due to a civil emergency, the state continues Mills’ executive order to control the spread of the virus by requiring masks to be worn indoors in public places and limiting the size of the rally, among other protocols. can. Civil emergency orders must be renewed every 30 days to remain effective.

“As Maine enters the colder months and more activity moves indoors, it’s more important than ever to maintain important public health measures that keep us all safe,” Mills said. Stated in a statement. “We know how to reduce the spread of the virus. We protect our health, open schools safely to as many students as possible, and enable the economy to continue on the path to recovery. In order for us to wear a face cover, keep a physical distance and wash our hands frequently. “

More schools are beginning to report outbreaks, including 18 cases at Sanford High School and the Regional Technology Center. Last week, the Main CDC conducted an on-site test of all high school students and staff with 1,000 students.

Over the past week, many new outbreaks and individual COVID-19 cases have also been reported in several school districts. Recent schools that have reported cases include Freeport Junior and Senior High School, Massabesic Secondary School, Ranford’s Mountain Valley High School, Yarmouth School, and Marana Cook Community Secondary School in Kennebec County.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that the incidence of COVID-19 in school-age children began to rise in early September as many young people returned to the classroom. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children now account for 10% of all cases, up from 2% in April.

Shah said in a media briefing Tuesday that Abbott Laboratories would soon ship 26,000 antigen tests, perhaps arriving in Maine within next week.

The US CDC has directed the Abbott test as “main use is for in-school and inter-school cases.” The state is working on a plan to quickly distribute the test to the school district.

The Illinois-based company has a laboratory and manufacturing plant in Scarbara, a manufacturing plant in Westbrook, and signed a $ 750 million contract with the federal government in August to reach 150 million nationwide. We conducted 10,000 tests. Each test costs $ 5, and you can get results from a less invasive nasal swab within 15 minutes.

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