Another 31 cases of the new coronavirus have been detected in Maine, health officials said Wednesday.
There have now been 2,637 cases across all of Maine’s counties since the outbreak began here in March, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 2,606 on Tuesday.
Of those, 2,350 have been confirmed positive, while 287 are likely positive, according to the Maine CDC.
No new deaths were reported Wednesday, leaving the statewide death toll at 100.
So far, 303 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 27 people are currently hospitalized, with 10 in critical care and five on ventilators.
Meanwhile, 2,023 people have fully recovered from the virus, meaning there are 514 active and likely cases in the state, according to the Maine CDC. That’s unchanged from Tuesday. Active cases of the virus have been trending down in recent days, falling from 714 on May 24, Maine CDC data show.
Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine.
—“Gov. Janet Mills has extended her 30-day coronavirus civil state of emergency proclamation for the third time since the pandemic began, warning on Wednesday that COVID-19 is very much a threat despite the relaxing of some virus-inspired restrictions. The second extension, due to end Thursday, gives Mills the ability to suspend the enforcement of laws, establish emergency reserves of certain products and allows the state to access federal funding to mitigate the outbreak.” — Nick Sambides Jr., BDN
—“CEO of Portland-based Tilson Technology Josh Broder, Hancock Lumber CEO Kevin Hancock and Sea Bags CEO Don Oakes spoke about how they are reinventing their companies to deal with COVID-19.” — Lori Valigra, BDN
—“Amtrak’s Downeaster rail service will begin to emerge from behind the coronavirus curtain and get back on track with resumed service between Brunswick and Boston starting June 15.” — Nick Sambides Jr., BDN
—“A Freeport restaurant owner has opened his business for dine-in service in defiance of Gov. Janet Mills’ order prohibiting that in three counties amid the coronavirus pandemic. Petrillo’s in Freeport opened for both dine-in and outdoor seating last Thursday. Dominic Petrillo, owner and chef of Petrillo’s, said four complaints have been filed with the state in less than a week, but he doesn’t regret his decision.” — CBS 13
—“The Fort Kent Lions Club, famous in northern Maine for its creative biannual Pride of Lions fundraiser, has demonstrated its creativity once again through a unique video making the rounds on Facebook. The video shows Lions Club members ranging in age from 20 to 93 years old passing — and in one case golfing — a potato to one another in video clips filmed at their homes and places of business.” — Jessica Potila, Fiddlehead Focus
— As of Wednesday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 1,996,960 people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 112,726 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.
— Elsewhere in New England, there have been 7,454 coronavirus deaths in Massachusetts, 4,120 in Connecticut, 812 in Rhode Island, 294 in New Hampshire and 55 in Vermont.