147 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Maine

Another 147 coronavirus cases have been reported across the state, Maine health officials said Friday.

Friday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 7,444. Of those, 6,565 have been confirmed positive, while 879 were classified as “probable cases,” according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency revised Thursday’s cumulative total to 7,297, up from 7,260, meaning there was a net increase of 184 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 Bangor Daily News reports on the number of new cases reported to the Maine CDC in the previous 24 hours, rather than the increase of daily cumulative cases.

New cases were reported in Androscoggin (13), Cumberland (50), Franklin (1), Kennebec (8), Knox (10), Lincoln (1), Oxford (1), Penobscot (10), Piscataquis (2), Somerset (7), Waldo (3), Washington (7) and York (28) counties, state data show. Information about where additional cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.

Only three counties — Aroostook, Hancock and Sagadahoc — reported no new cases.

The seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 129.4, up from 124.3 a day ago, 77.7 a week ago and up from 30.4 a month ago.

Friday’s report comes as Gov. Janet Mills has issued a new executive order requiring Mainers to wear face coverings in public spaces no matter their distance from others. It’s the latest move from the Mills administration to halt the surge in coronavirus cases as “forceful and widespread” community transmission is seen throughout the state.

There are two criteria for establishing community transmission: at least 10 confirmed cases and that at least 25 percent of those are not connected to either known cases or travel.

No new deaths were reported Friday, leaving the statewide death toll at 150. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 513 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 37 people are currently hospitalized, with 14 in critical care and three on ventilators.

Meanwhile, 79 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 5,830. That means there are 1,464 active confirmed and “probable” cases in the state, which is up from 1,359 on Thursday. It’s yet another record high for active cases.

A majority of the cases — 4,398 — have been in Mainers under age 50, while more cases have been reported in women than men, according to the Maine CDC.

As of Friday, there have been 678,574 negative test results out of 687,475 overall. About 1.2 percent of all tests have come back positive, Maine CDC data show.

The coronavirus has hit hardest in Cumberland County, where 2,872 cases have been reported and where the bulk of virus deaths — 70 — have been concentrated. Other cases have been reported in Androscoggin (922), Aroostook (73), Franklin (120), Hancock (85), Kennebec (436), Knox (125), Lincoln (76), Oxford (187), Penobscot (355), Piscataquis (14), Sagadahoc (95), Somerset (262), Waldo (169), Washington (98) and York (1,546) counties. Information about where an additional nine cases were reported wasn’t immediately available.

As of Friday morning, the coronavirus had sickened 9,643,922 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 235,199 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.