AUGUSTA, Maine — In the past four days, Maine has seen a "deeply concerning" spike in coronavirus cases with 250 additional cases reported. On Wednesday, the single-day record was nearly broken with 76 cases; Maine's total cases now stands at 6,387.
The Maine CDC did not report any additional deaths of people with COVID-19; the state death toll remains at 146.
In May, there was a 24-hour increase of 78 cases. The Maine CDC notes that case counts are "continually revised as most newly identified probable cases are investigated and either determined to be confirmed cases or determined not to be cases."
During Tuesday's coronavirus briefing, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said, "The spike that we have foreshadowed is happening and this is deeply concerning."
"The bottom line is that we are in it now," Shah said. "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."
The briefings are typically held on Tuesdays and Thursdays each week, but Wednesday morning the Maine CDC announced they'd hold a briefing on Wednesday, headed by Gov. Janet Mills and Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew.
"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."
Data shows Maine has had two spikes—one in March shortly after the pandemic reached Maine, and another in May around Memorial Day. Since then, cases had leveled out, yet remained somewhat steady.
Maine has consistently had one of the lowest positivity rates in the country. On Monday, Shah said the current 7-day weighted positivity rate is 0.67 percent, compared to 0.49 percent one week ago.
Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Response team, has been sounding the alarm in northeastern states of the past few weeks, warning people of a coming "silent spread" of the coronavirus. She recently visited Southern Maine Community College in South Portland to discuss coronavirus response and testing efforts in college settings with community leaders.
During the visit, she nodded to early warning signs that were seen across the south after Memorial Day. Birx attributed the recent spike in cases in New England states to social gatherings and relaxed personal behavior.
Birx said the reason they're concerned about the upper northeast in general "is because you all have done so well," so far with containing the spread.
“The virus is in every state. The question is, do we have the right systems in place right now to detect this silent spread?” Birx said Tuesday before the roundtable. “We see the physical distancing, the masks in public spaces. We need people to focus on personal protection. Where people are getting fatigued and letting down their guard is in private settings.”
Shah, Mills, and Lambrew will provide an update at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. We will stream the briefing live on-air, on our website and mobile app, as well as on our Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube pages.
Follow along with our coronavirus blog for real-time updates.
