The number of new COVID-19 infections and deaths soared to new heights during a surge of the coronavirus across the state, officials said Friday.
The Maine Center for Disease Control reported 41 deaths and 782 infections, both daily records in the state. The rolling 14-day daily average was 476 infections on Friday compared to 187 infections on Dec. 1.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, predicted that the numbers would grow after holiday travel and gatherings at the end of the year.
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The number of deaths was more than double the previously daily high of 20 on Dec. 1. The previous daily record of infections was 748 on Dec. 23.
Friday’s high figure does not mean all 41 individuals died on Thursday. That’s because the state’s tally of the number of deaths is subject to a lag in reporting.
Six of the 41 individuals died within the last 48 hours, Shah said. He said the numbers are a “stark indicator of the toll that COVID-19 is taking on all of us.”
