Twenty deaths, 219 new cases reported as coronavirus rages in Maine

Maine reported 20 new deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday, surpassing the previous high by one day in part because the total included deaths that occurred over Thanksgiving weekend but went unreported.

There have now been 214 deaths in Maine. The previous high for a one-day increase was 12 deaths on November 24.

Dr Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said in a tweet that Tuesday is a “tough day” for Maine.

“I want to offer our deepest condolences to the families, friends and communities of each of these individuals. Their losses are shared by all of us as a state, ”Shah said.

Governor Janet Mills also announced on Tuesday that she would be quarantined at Blaine House until December 12 because she was potentially exposed to COVID-19 by a member of her security service.

The governor said she was symptom-free and would continue to perform her duties, virtually keeping in touch with her staff and cabinet.

Half of the newly reported deaths have been in Androscoggin County. Three deaths have been reported in Penobscot and York counties, and one death in each of Washington, Piscataquis, Oxford, Kennebec and Knox counties. There have been no new deaths in Cumberland County, the Maine CDC said.

Robert Long, the agency’s spokesperson, said the 20 deaths did not occur in one day, but had occurred since November 16. Long said that over the long weekend there were delays in the process the Maine CDC uses to confirm the deaths are caused by COVID -19. Those delays prevented the agency from recording some of the holiday weekend deaths in official records until Tuesday. Most of the deaths occurred between November 24 and November 30, with one death recorded on November 16 that was not confirmed until Tuesday.

Dr David Seder, who treats some of Maine’s most seriously ill COVID-19 patients at Maine Medical Center in Portland, said in an interview on Tuesday that he expected a “difficult winter.” Even though treatments have improved and patients are more likely to survive the disease compared to spring, COVID-19 remains a dangerous and deadly disease.

Seder said about 30% of patients who end up in intensive care at Maine Med will die from COVID-19. He said it’s not only difficult for patients and families, but also for doctors and nurses to see so many people take their last breath.

“Some coronavirus patients look me in the eye and they know it’s the beginning of the end,” Seder said, describing the process of placing patients who can’t breathe on their own on mechanical ventilators. “I give them sedative drugs, it puts them to sleep, they take their lives and some die.”

Conversations between patients and healthcare workers are difficult because doctors and nurses wear protective clothing and cannot communicate as well.

“They feel alone and out of touch with the world,” Seder said of his patients.

The spike in deaths comes as public health experts urge the public to take precautions – such as wearing masks, maintaining social distancing and avoiding gatherings – to reduce transmission of the virus while vaccines are waiting to be widely released. available.

If two candidate vaccines are approved by the FDA in the coming weeks, the first shipment of vaccines is expected to arrive in mid-December. Maine’s initial shipment could be around 12,000 doses – with much larger quantities of the vaccine launched in 2021. The US CDC reported Tuesday that most healthcare workers nationwide will be able to receive the first doses of the vaccine. within three weeks of the first Distribution. Still, the vaccine should not be released until spring at the earliest.

Eight of the 10 deaths in Androscoggin County are linked to outbreaks in long-term care facilities, including six at Clover Health Care in Auburn and two at the Russell Park Rehabilitation & Living Center in Lewiston, the Maine CDC said. .

Clover Health Care has reported 112 cases of COVID-19 involving 40 employees and 72 residents. The facility employs 250 people and is licensed for 259 residents, but is operating below capacity, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The epidemic has largely been centered in the nursing home section.

“Our people are amazing. They keep coming. They are real heroes, ”said Sarah O’Sullivan, spokesperson for Clover Health Care.

She said Clover has partnered with its sister facilities (owned by the same company) to recruit the necessary staff.

Among the 20 deaths reported Tuesday, there were 15 men and five women, with one in their sixties, six in their sixties, nine in the 80th and four in the 90th.

Androscoggin County has the highest rate of active cases per 10,000 population in Maine, at 38.5, followed by 25.8 in Franklin County. York County has 19.6 cases per 10,000 population, Penobscot County’s rate is 18.7, followed by 17.7 in Cumberland County. The lowest rate is 6.9 per 10,000 population in Aroostook County.

Also on Tuesday, the state reported 219 new cases of COVID-19, continuing a trend in which the number of new daily cases has steadily exceeded 200 since the pandemic worsened in November.

Public health experts have warned that the spike in the drop in cases will also lead to more hospitalizations and deaths. 138 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 in Maine on Tuesday, including 46 in intensive care and 19 on a ventilator, Shah said in a tweet.

The seven-day average of daily new cases in Maine was 168.9, down from 207.3 a week ago and 73.6 a month ago.

Also on Tuesday, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services closed its Sanford office after an employee tested positive for COVID-19. The office will reopen as soon as possible, according to a press release.

Saint-Joseph College Health and Wellness Director Sheri Piers administers a COVID-19 test to a student on Thursday, November 19. Staff photo by Brianna Soukup

On Monday, Jeanne Lambrew, Maine’s health and social services commissioner, said the state plans to maintain the 9 p.m. curfew for the state’s hospitality industry, including restaurants, casinos, cinemas and tasting rooms. The curfew began on November 20 and will expire on Sunday.

Lambrew said the state is evaluating the effectiveness of the curfew to determine whether it should continue.

Lambrew also said the state was discussing whether high school winter sports in Maine, such as basketball, ice hockey, swimming and indoor track, could begin practices on December 14th or if the season should be delayed. She noted that other states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, have postponed winter sports until January, as cases of the virus worsen.

Lambrew has previously said state rulings on high school sports will also apply to community sports, such as AAU basketball and youth and club ice hockey.

As the state grapples with an increase in cases, a renewed effort is underway in Congress to pass a new COVID-19 relief measure. U.S. Senators from Maine, Republican Susan Collins and Independent Angus King, are among a bipartisan group of senators and representatives that announced a $ 908 billion proposal on Tuesday morning. Congress passed COVID-19 relief in the spring, but the $ 1.25 billion Maine received under the CARES Act has been largely committed.

Lindsay Tice, editor of the Sun Journal, contributed to this story.

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