MAINE, USA — EVERY NUMBER IS A LIFE: Celebrating the life of loved ones during the faceless anonymity of Maine coronavirus COVID fatalities.
KEY MAINE CORONAVIRUS FACTS
- Read Governor Janet Mills' plan to reopen rural Maine as soon as next week
- 65 Mainers have died out of 1,462 COVID-19 cases. 1,328 of these cases are confirmed by test and 134 are probable.
- 200 Mainers have been hospitalized, 872 Mainers have recovered. The trend remains more recoveries and fewer hospitalizations.
- Governor Janet Mills has extended Maine's statewide stay-safer-at-home order to May 31
- Read Maine Governor Janet Mills' detailed plan to reopen Maine economy during coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic
- Read Maine Phase 1 COVID-19 Prevention Checklist to help business reopen with reduced coronavirus restrictions
- A timeline of the coronavirus pandemic in Maine
- 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
- Local businesses are the backbones of our communities. NEWS CENTER Maine cares about our state and asks that you support your local business and restaurants right now. 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.
LATEST CORONAVIRUS UPDATES
MONDAY, MAY 11
2 p.m.
A man in his 70s from Cumberland County is the 65th individual who has died with COVID-19.
There was an increase of 26 cases since Sunday for a total of 1,462. Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah says there are currently 37 individuals hospitalized, 17 of which are in intensive care and nine are on ventilators.
There are 315 health care workers who have tested positive for COVID-19.
Dr. Shah says there are three new outbreaks: The Maple House in Portland with three cases, the Residential Community Support Service Group in Sanford with four cases, and the Granite Bay Care facility in Brunswick with three cases.
The Maple House is a campus of Spurwink, a facility for kids that provides behavioral health and education services.
Dr. Shah gives updates for the other outbreaks in Maine:
- Augusta Center for Health and Rehabilitation: 48 residents and 28 staff have tested positive, and seven have died.
- Edgewood Rehabilitation & Living Center in Farmington: 13 residents and six staff have tested positive, and one has died.
- Hope House in Bangor: 18 residents and four staff members have tested positive.
- Maine Veterans' Home in Scarborough: 32 residents and 23 staff have tested positive, and 13 have died.
- Springbrook Center in Westbrook: 17 residents and eight staff members have tested positive.
- Tall Pines in Waldo County: 32 residents and 11 staff have tested positive, and 13 have died.
- The Cedars in Portland: 11 residents and six staff members have tested positive, and one has died.
- Tyson food plant in Portland: There are 51 total workers affiliated with the plant who have COVID-19.
Dr. Shah says just in the past few days there has been a total of 21 psychological first aid training sessions. There are now 531 individuals who are trained to provide counseling and spiritual care services for people—a family member, a patient, or a health care worker—affected by COVID-19. More training will be done in the coming weeks.
"All too often in outbreaks—in any emergency situation—we focus on the body, but these are important reminders that we must also focus on the mind as well," Dr. Shah said.
12 p.m.
The Maine CDC is reporting one additional death, bringing the state total to 65. There is a total of 1,462 cases: 1,328 are confirmed and 134 are probable. 872 have recovered and 200 have been hospitalized at some point during their illness.
Note: In addition to these cases, there are six whose counties are unknown.
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- \Maine restaurants can reopen in rural counties after coronavirus restrictions
- Orrington church denied restraining order against Governor Mills' coronavirus rules, still held outdoor in-person church service
- White House to direct supply of COVID-19 drug remdesivir amid access fears
- WHO denies report of pressure from China to withhold coronavirus info
- Political Brew: More testing, the CMP corridor, & overturning Obamacare
- Fauci, 2 other members of White House coronavirus task force face quarantine
- US to buy $3B in dairy, meat, produce from farmers, Trump tweets
- National parks visitors should plan for 'new normal' as pandemic continues
- You can still 'Adopt-A-Garden' in downtown Bangor to help beautify the city
- Neiman Marcus files for bankruptcy amid coronavirus pandemicOn what would have been graduation day, universities celebrate virtually
- 'Absolute chaotic disaster': Obama criticizes US response to pandemic
- Delta suspending service at 10 US airports starting Wednesday
- Union Fair added to list of canceled Maine fairs
- Hawaii reports no new coronavirus case for 1st time in 2 months
THE DATA
Dr. Nirav Shah made clear that when the Maine CDC reports deaths, they are reporting that someone has died who had been confirmed positive with COVID-19, not the cause of death specifically. The cause of death determination is left to the medical examiner.
According to Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah, as of a few days ago, there were roughly 2,900 Mainers tested each week. This includes people tested through the state lab in Augusta, as well as large commercial testing companies like LabCorp. Dr. Shah said right now, the positivity rate is over 5%, meaning for every 100 people tested, about 5 or 6 are positive. Compared to other states, whose positivity rates are 10 or 15%, Maine is doing better, Dr. Shah says. He says he'd like to see Maine's positivity rate around 2%, which is what South Korea's is. To do that, Dr. Shah says testing must increase two or three-fold.
TAKE A MOMENT FOR 'A BREATH OF FRESH AIR'
RESOURCES
- Maine food resources and retail adjustments
- How to file for Maine unemployment
- 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'
- Maine school and business closings
- What shelter-in-place, stay-at-home orders mean
- What Homeland Security deems 'essential businesses'
MAINE CDC BRIEFINGS
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) announced on Tuesday, March 10 that they would be holding daily coronavirus briefings with director Dr. Nirav Shah to keep the public up to date on the situation in Maine.