MAINE, USA — Editor’s note: You are starting to hear the term ‘flattening the curve’ as a way to stem the tide of coronavirus cases. The above video explains what that means.
The Maine Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said Friday that one person in Maine has died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
The individual was a man in his 80s from Cumberland County. Maine CDC said due to privacy laws, no further details will be released at this time.
“This is a sad day for the State of Maine. I know I join countless people in extending my condolences to his family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult time,” Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement. “Our state is a family. And while we mourn the loss of a member of our Maine family today, I find strength and solace in knowing that we will support one another and that, together, we will get through this.”
The U.S. surpassed China and Italy in total COVID-19 cases with 85,991 as of 4 a.m. Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University. Nearly 1,300 people in the U.S. have died and 753 have recovered.
Around the world, there are more than 533,000 cases and 24,000 deaths; 122,000 have recovered.
The Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah and Gov. Mills will hold a press conference in Augusta at 11:30 a.m. Friday to update the public on the coronavirus situation in Maine.
As of Friday, there are 168 confirmed cases in Maine in 11 of Maine's 16 counties:
- 16 are health care workers
- 22 people are hospitalized
- 49% are male
- 51% are female
- The average age is 55, but it ranges from younger than 10 years old to older than 90 years old
Community transmission has now been identified in not just Cumberland County, but in York County as well. Dr. Shah said Thursday the standard for labeling community transmission in Maine is the county must have at least 10 cases, 25 percent of which do not have a known link to another case of confirmed COVID-19, either through travel or through direct interaction.
There have been 3,394 negative tests statewide.
NEWS CENTER Maine will update this story when more information becomes available.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we’re focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus
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