Another Mainer has died as six new coronavirus cases were reported in the state Tuesday, the lowest daily increase since March.
Tuesday’s report brings the total coronavirus cases in Maine to 4,050. Of those, 3,644 have been confirmed positive, while 406 were classified as “probable cases,” according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
This latest report marks the smallest daily increase since March 16, when five new cases were reported, Maine CDC data show.
The agency revised Monday’s cumulative total to 4,044, down from 4,049, meaning there was an increase of one over the previous day’s report, state data show. As the Maine CDC continues to investigate previously reported cases, some are determined to have not been the coronavirus, or coronavirus cases not involving Mainers. Those are removed from the state’s cumulative total.
The latest death involved a woman in her 90s from York County, Maine CDC spokesperson Robert Long said. It brings the statewide death toll to 126. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.
So far, 394 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, nine people are currently hospitalized, with four in critical care and one on a ventilator.
Meanwhile, 23 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 3,560. That means there are 364 active and “probable” cases in the state, which is down from 387 on Monday.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine.
—“Maine’s labor department is unsure about how to proceed with a presidential memorandum aiming to partially extend federal unemployment benefits, echoing concerns from lawmakers and other states about the legality and feasibility of the order.” — Jessica Piper, BDN
—Have you been billed for a coronavirus test or treatment? We want to hear from you. Please take our survey here.
—“Mainers who have found themselves without work during the coronavirus pandemic must now show the state they are actively looking for a job to continue receiving jobless benefits.” – Christopher Burns, BDN
—“The Passamaquoddy Tribe at Sipayik has tried for years to get a new source of water for the district serving the Down East reservation and the city of Eastport as it has struggled with fluctuating water quality. There have been few coronavirus cases in eastern Maine, but the water quality is adding to concerns in a population with many who have pre-existing health conditions as Maine tribes pursue a sovereignty effort before the Legislature.” — Caitlin Andrews, BDN
—“Around 75 people marched through Portland’s streets Monday afternoon in a youth-led rally against homelessness. Event organizers from the Maine People’s Housing Coalition called for Portland’s largest homeless care provider, Preble Street, to reopen its day-services resource center and soup kitchen. They also called for the city-run Oxford Street Shelter to resume admitting new clients. Both organizations reduced their services after the coronavirus arrived in Maine.” — Troy R. Bennett, BDN
—“The Maine Board of Bar Examiners is going forward with an in-person bar exam this fall even though the American Bar Association recently recommended that states replace in-person exams with remote ones.” — Judy Harrison, BDN
—“About a month after pitching the idea of visiting Bucksport three times this fall, American Cruise Lines has reversed its decision, with the company saying that it has canceled all Maine stops this year.” — Nick Sambides Jr., BDN
As of Tuesday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 5,130,784 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 164,603 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.