The director of the state CDC says out-of-state visitors have not transmitted high levels of the new coronavirus in Maine.
Appearing on Maine Calling on Monday, Dr. Nirav Shah said that of about 10,000 visitors who have received tests for COVID-19, just 258 have tested positive.
“Indeed, the increases that we’ve seen in York County, Oxford County and other parts of the state are related to individuals within Maine, not individuals from other states,” he said.
Shah said he remains deeply concerned about the recent spike in cases in York County, where the CDC is tracking 16 outbreaks. It’s also investigating an outbreak of about 24 cases at the ND Paper Mill in Oxford County.
Shah’s comments come as Maine's COVID-19 caseload rose by 12, bringing the tally since the pandemic's onset to 5,300. The death toll remained unchanged at 140.
That's according to new figures the Maine Center for Disease Control posted Monday.
They indicate that recoveries from the virus now total 4,599, an increase of 33 since Sunday. That brings the number of active cases the state is now following to 561, a drop of 20 overnight.
As of Sunday, 11 Mainers with COVID-19 were hospitalized, two of them in intensive care. None of the patients required a ventilator. Since the pandemic hit Maine, a total of 446 people with the virus have been hospitalized at some point during their illness.
The Maine CDC's next coronavirus briefing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29.
