MAINE, USA — Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah painted a grim picture of the state of COVID-19 in Maine during Tuesday's CDC briefing.
"The spike that we have foreshadowed is happening and this is deeply concerning," he said. "The bottom line is that we are in it now. These numbers should put to rest any notion that it can't happen in this state, in your county, in your town. It can happen because it is happening here."
In the past three days, there have been 174 new cases of COVID-19 in Maine.
"Unfortunately," Shah said, "We expect the number of new cases each day to continue at this rate and likely become even higher in the coming days."
What Shah finds particularly concerning about the uptick in cases is that they are not linked to an outbreak. Rather, the news cases are emerging as part of community or household transmission.
Shah points to "fatigue" towards following health protocols as one reason cases are surging across the state, in every county.
"Let's just acknowledge that what complicates things right now. What makes things hard right now is that we're tired. What started with us being scared turned into us being bewildered and has settled on something close to fatigue."
The problem of fatigue came up when White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx visited Maine and spoke to the press in mid-October.
"The reason we're concerned about the upper northeast, in general," Birx said, "Is that you've all done so well and there's a level of complacency and fatigue that comes with that."
Shah urges Mainers to remain vigilant for the sake of their friends and neighbors.
"For me, the trick isn't just to remember what we're doing, but why we're doing it and for whom we're doing it. We're doing this to care for our elderly, to keep our kids in school, and to protect vulnerable families across our state," Shah said.
So what can you do? Shah said simply follow the CDC guidelines you've been asked to adhere to for a month.
"It is now today, more important than ever to wear a mask, to stay six feet apart, and if you're congregating indoors do those same things you would have done outdoor, plus allow for proper ventilation."
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