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
- 62 Mainers have died out of 1,330 COVID-19 cases. 1,231 of these cases are confirmed by test and 99 are probable.
- 192 Mainers have been hospitalized, 787 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
THURSDAY MAY 7
Latest coronavirus updates for Thursday
- Orrington church sues Governor Mills over COVID-19 executive order
- Trump administration shelves CDC guide to reopening country
- More than 2,000 COVID-19 tests requested in one day since N.H. launched online portal
- President Trump valet tests positive for COVID-19; president tests negative
- Maine fishing industry nets $20 million through CARES Act
- Maine DNC election goes virtual in the face of COVID-19
- Biden campaign to hold virtual roundtable on rural health care in Maine
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The Maine CDC announced no new deaths of Mainers who tested positive for COVID-19. The state death toll remains at 62.
The Maine CDC is now reporting 1,330 cases, 1,231 of which are confirmed by test and 99 of which are probable.
Of the 1,231 confirmed cases in Maine, 787 Mainers have recovered.
192 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point during their COVID-19 illness. There are currently 39 Mainers hospitalized due to COVID-19, 16 of whom are being treated in intensive care and 11 of whom are on ventilators.
There are now 12 residents and one staff member at the Springbrook Center nursing home in Westbrook.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, said the Tyson food plant facility in Portland has completed their cleaning process and has informed the Maine CDC they plan to reopen. 51 employees at the plant have tested positive for COVID-19.
RELATED: Portland food plant set to reopen after 51 workers tested positive for coronavirus, COVID-19
Governor Janet Mills announced Thursday that her administration has secured a major expansion of COVID-19 testing for the state. The administration has partnered with Maine-based IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. to purchase enough of the company’s recently authorized COVID-19 testing kits to more than triple the state’s testing capacity. The breakthrough will soon allow anyone in Maine suspected of having COVID-19 to receive a test.
“This changes everything,” Mills said. “Acquiring this testing capacity is a major breakthrough for all the people of Maine. We have worked closely with IDEXX over the last month to position the state to benefit from this new and exciting product. Now we are poised to more than triple the State’s testing capacity, remove testing barriers for health care providers, and make sure that anyone who needs a test can get one."
This significant expansion of testing will ultimately allow Maine CDC to eliminate its testing prioritization system, which most states have had to implement as a result of the limited national supply of testing materials.
After testing with the new instrument and materials is operational, which is expected as early as the end of next week, health care providers in Maine will be able to seek testing for anyone they suspect of having COVID-19. This includes people with symptoms, as well as those who have had significant, close contact with a person with COVID-19, such as a spouse.
The breakthrough will also allow the state to more fully implement universal testing in congregate care settings, such as nursing facilities and shelters, and enable the State to work with providers to conduct voluntary sentinel testing, or “spot checks”, on patients in different parts of the health care system.
"I just want to underscore this isn't just something that we thought about and happened," Dr. Shah said. "It's really the result of weeks upon weeks of deliberate thinking, planning, and partnership. That's why we're delighted to announce that today."
"My communications director last night, he was out fishing. When we got the news he almost lost his trout on the line. That's how exciting it was," Mills said.
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- Maine Dept. of Labor Commissioner defends handling of unemployment claims
- Hampden Neighborhood Food Cupboard sees a spike in need amid coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic
- April jobs report could show 16% unemployment
- Maine Republican leaders demand the removal of the Governor's Civil Emergency Power during coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic
- The national meat shortage won't happen in Maine, but smarter shopping is needed
- COVID-19 will devastate motorcoach industry and have a huge impact on Maine's economy
- Governor Mills convenes committee to advise on Maine's economic recovery amid coronavirus, COVID-19
- Labor and Housing Committee will hear from Department of Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman
- Coronavirus stimulus checks sent to dead people need to be returned, IRS says
- Augusta firefighter/paramedic tests positive for coronavirus, COVID-19
- Cumberland Farms offers free coffee to healthcare workers during National Nurses Week
- Animal shelters and rescues continue doing important work during pandemic
- What it's like working on the front lines of cancer during COVID-19
Dr. 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.