PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The most densely populated part of Portland has the highest incidence of the coronavirus, and there’s a high rate of infection in neighboring communities as well, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control.
Maine is the last state in New England to release local data about the virus. It had previously made only county-level information available.
Lewiston had the largest total number of cases per ZIP code, with 203 positive tests for the virus, which came as no surprise to city officials.
“We have long believed cases would be higher in Lewiston because of our dense neighborhoods and the regular travel between southern Maine,” Mayor Mark Cayer told the Sun Journal.
The highest infection rates per capita were mostly in urban areas, with the exception of Medway, the Portland Press Herald reported Thursday.
The Penobscot County community of 13,500 had 12 cases, ranking second per capita.
The Maine CDC released the the number of positive tests by ZIP code, but there are limitations to the data.
To protect patient privacy, the Maine CDC released case counts for only 55 of Maine’s 400 ZIP codes, those where there were at least six cases and where at least 50 people live in the code.
The greatest number of cases per capita was in Portland ZIP code 04101, which includes downtown, the East End and the East Bayside neighborhood. There was one case per 110 residents in that area, and one case per 121 in Medway.
Cape Elizabeth and Falmouth came in third and fourth place. Westbrook, another part of Portland, Kittery Point, Lewiston, Cape Neddick and Scarborough rounded out the top 10 ZIP codes per capita.
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CASE NUMBERS
Another three people died and 36 more people tested positive for the new coronavirus, the Maine Center for Disease Control reported Friday.
That brings the totals to 98 deaths and 2,482 positives tests since March in the state, the Maine CDC said.
For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, or death.
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