As of Thursday, Maine’s CDC reported 155 confirmed cases of coronavirus.
That’s up from 142 cases on Wednesday.
The Maine CDC says there have been 3,394 negative tests so far.
Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said during his briefing on Thursday that there is now evidence of community transmission in both York and Cumberland counties.
16 patients have recovered and have been released from isolation. Another 16 are health care workers.
Confirmed cases range in age from younger than 10 years old to over 90, with an average age of 55, and that the gender split is close to 50/50.
In a statement on Wednesday, Shah said the backlog of testing in the state was “unacceptable” and was due to a nationwide shortage of materials needed to make tests.
Shah also said the state is taking inventory of personal protective equipment at hospitals, as well as ICU beds and ventilators. A second shipment of PPE was being evaluated for distribution on Thursday.
Governor Janet Mills ordered that many non-essential businesses close their physical locations on Tuesday.
During remarks made this week, Dr. Shah told Mainers to assume that the virus is in their community, even if there are still no reported cases. Due to the incubation period, data showing cases lags behind by several days, and spread is likely much broader than what’s reflected in the numbers released so far.
