Name: As COVID hits new heights, Mills pleads for Mainers to follow public health rules
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As COVID hits new heights, Mills pleads for Mainers to follow public health rules

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ShareState health officials reported 87 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest single-day total in Maine since the pandemic began.Gov. Janet Mills is joining top state health officials for a media briefing at 2 p.m. Wednesday, raising questions about whether the state will dial back some of its reopening plans.The 7-day average of 54.1 cases is also a new record, eclipsing the previous record set in late May. The 7-day average has doubled in the last month and has nearly quadrupled since bottoming out at about 14 cases on August 11.The Maine CDC is involved in at least 25 current outbreak investigations, according to agency spokesman Robert Long.There have now been 6,387 confirmed or probable cases since March. No additional deaths were reported Wednesday, leaving the number at 146 individuals who have died with COVID-19. Although cases have been rising precipitously, there hasn’t been a COVID-19 related death in Maine in 11 days.Mills will be joined at the afternoon briefing by Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah and Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew.The virus is spreading through every corner in Maine, including Calais in Washington County. The Calais Regional Hospital reported Tuesday on its Facebook page that “since Monday, Oct. 19 we have had 29 positive results through CRH testing, but additional cases in the community have been identified through testing at other organizations.”The hospital reported 330 test results are pending, and the “swab and go” testing site at the hospital conducted a record 173 tests on Tuesday.“Everyone has a part to play in keeping our community and our families safe and healthy and getting through this outbreak. Remain vigilant in the basics, wearing mask, watching your distance and washing your hands,” the post read.The Maine CDC on Tuesday reported an outbreak at Second Baptist Church in Calais, with four cases, and the Maine Department of Education is reporting six cases at Calais Elementary School, resulting in the school going to online-only learning through Nov. 9.In Rockland, the Woodlands Memory Care facility has 10 cases, including eight residents and two staff members, according to the PenBay Pilot newspaper.South Portland High School now is reporting two cases of COVID-19, although the school department stressed that the two cases were unrelated to each other. Close contacts are being quarantined, although school is still open. In all Maine schools, there have been 121 COVID-19 cases reported, according to the Maine Department of Education.Shah could continue.“The spike we have foreshadowed is happening,” he said. “This is deeply concerning. The bottom line is we are in it now.”The number of net new cases on Wednesday was 76. The state updates its cumulative totals each day to remove cases that were deemed false positives or cases that did not involve Maine residents.Hospitalizations are slowly rising, too, although not close to the level seen in May. As of Wednesday, 1 i6ndividuals were hospitalized, including seven in critical care. A week ago, there were seven people in the hospital — none in critical care.People in masks walk through Monument Square on Wednesday, Oct. 21.The number of active cases — the total number of cases minus those who have recovered or died — rose to 800 on Wednesday. That’s up from 561 active cases just one month ago. There were 14 new cases Cumberland County, 13 in York County and 9 each in Knox and Washington counties, which have both been among of the counties with the lowest number of cases to date. New cases were reported in all but two counties, Piscataquis and Sagadahoc.Despite the jump in cases, Maine is set to reopen bars on Monday with extra rules in place to limit the virus’ spread, although state health officials on Tuesday said that they are closely examining that upcoming date. Bars in other states have been associated with COVID-19 outbreaks, and in Maine they are one of the last types of businesses to reopen.Maine’s high school winter sports season , the Maine Principals’ Association announced Tuesday, saying it is working with state officials and educators to design COVID-19 safety protocols.This story will be updated&nbsp;&nbsp;Invalid username/password.Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.Enter your email and password to access comments.Hi, to comment on stories you must create a commenting profile. This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login. Already have one? 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ShareState health officials reported 87 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest single-day total in Maine since the pandemic began.Gov. Janet Mills is joining top state health officials for a media briefing at 2 p.m. Wednesday, raising questions about whether the state will dial back some of its reopening plans.The 7-day average of 54.1 cases is also a new record, eclipsing the previous record set in late May. The 7-day average has doubled in the last month and has nearly quadrupled since bottoming out at about 14 cases on August 11.The Maine CDC is involved in at least 25 current...

As COVID hits new heights, Mills pleads for Mainers to follow public health rules

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