August 19 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine – Bangor Daily News

Another 25 new coronavirus cases have been reported in Maine, health officials said Wednesday.

Wednesdays report brings the total coronavirus cases in Maine to 4,234. Of those, 3,799 have been confirmed positive, while 435 were classified as probable cases, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

The agency revised Tuesdays cumulative total to 4,209, up from 4,196. 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 states cumulative total.

No new deaths were reported Wednesday, leaving the statewide death toll at 127. Nearly all deaths have been in Mainers over age 60.

So far, 403 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, nine people are currently hospitalized, with two in critical care and one on a ventilator.

Meanwhile, 13 more people have recovered from the coronavirus, bringing total recoveries to 3,662. That means there are 445 active and probable cases in the state, which is up from 432 on Monday.

Heres the latest on the coronavirus and its impact on Maine.

Portland Public Schools officials have pitched a comprehensive plan to return to classrooms on Sept. 14, after the Maine Department of Education and Center for Disease Control and Prevention cleared them to do so. But about 15 percent of district employees have asked for a waiver from returning to their school buildings, citing heightened risks from the coronavirus and childcare conflicts among their concerns. Schools officials have contracted with Falmouth-based KMA Human Resources Consulting, a private firm, to help determine which Portland teachers may work remotely and which ones should return to the classroom this fall. Nick Schroeder, BDN

Health care advocates in Maine are waiting to see if a deadlocked Congress will boost a federal Medicaid funding match provision as the state prepares across-the-board spending cuts due to the coronavirus pandemic. Caitlin Andrews, BDN

Building supply, online and automobile sales all rose by double digits in June, although other parts of Maines economy still are down significantly compared to last year, new tax data from Maine Revenue Services showed. Lori Valigra, BDN

The Maine Principals Association expects to make its recommendation regarding the high school fall sports season on Aug. 27. The recommendation to be presented to the MPAs Interscholastic Management Committee might include going forward with all fall sports cross country, field hockey, football, golf, soccer and volleyball. It also might recommend a partial slate of sports during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic or having no high school sports at all when students return to classes. Ernie Clark, BDN

On Tuesday, the day after state health officials confirmed a coronavirus outbreak of at least two dozen cases connected to an Aug. 7 wedding reception in Millinocket, some residents of the Katahdin region were shocked that their area had been hit by such a large virus outbreak while others believed it was simply a matter of time before the virus hit. Eesha Pendharkar, BDN

As of Wednesday evening, the coronavirus has sickened 5,516,639 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 172,667 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

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August 19 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine - Bangor Daily News