Two more Mainers die and 143 more coronavirus cases are reported across the state

By Lynne Fort, Bangor Daily News Staff

Two more Mainers have died as health officials on Saturday reported 143 more coronavirus cases across the state.

The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 2,475. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. That’s up from 2,425 on Thursday.

Saturday’s deaths bring the statewide death toll to 658.

Friday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 43,367, according to the Maine CDC. That’s up from 43,224 on Friday. 

Of those, 34,431 have been confirmed positive, while 8,936 were classified as “probable cases,” the Maine CDC reported.

The new case rate statewide Saturday was 1.00 cases per 10,000 residents, and the total case rate statewide was 324.

The most cases have been detected in Mainers in their 20s, while Mainers over 80 years old make up the majority of deaths. More cases and deaths have been recorded in women than men. 

So far, 1,505 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. Information about current hospitalizations was not available Saturday morning.

Cases have been reported in Androscoggin (4,684), Aroostook (1,254), Cumberland (12,197), Franklin (880), Hancock (871), Kennebec (3,537), Knox (620), Lincoln (563), Oxford (2,152), Penobscot (3,759), Piscataquis (244), Sagadahoc (865), Somerset (1,229), Waldo (572), Washington (698) and York (9,240) counties.

An additional 3,297 Mainers have been vaccinated against the coronavirus in the previous 24 hours. As of Saturday, 196,581 Mainers have received a first dose of the vaccine, while 90,749 have received two doses.

As of Saturday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 28,006,474 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 495,814 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.