The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Sunday reported 25 new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus but no new deaths, for a total of 1,015 cases and 50 deaths.

Subtracting numbers of people who have recovered – 532 – and died, there were 433 active cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, as of Sunday.

Sweeping social-distancing measures appear to have contributed to a flattening of the curve of hospitalizations across Maine, avoiding worst-case scenarios in which the health care system becomes overwhelmed. Thirty-nine coronavirus patients were in hospitals on Sunday morning.

The apparent effectiveness of anti-pandemic precautions, combined with the devastation they’ve caused to the economy, has put pressure on governors around the country to reopen their states’ economies.

Maine, with its dependence on tourism, is likely to be particularly hard hit. One analysis, from the U.K.-based forecasting and analytics company Oxford Economics, says Vacationland could be No. 1 among U.S. states in terms of economic fallout.

The state’s food, beverage and hospitality industry isn’t well-equipped for employees to work from home, so businesses are presented with difficult choices to make between safety and survival. Vermont, also a tourist haven, ranks No. 3 on the Oxford Economics list.

But public health officials and Maine’s governor, Janet Mills, caution that it’s too early to lift restrictions willy-nilly – the virus could roar back if left completely unchecked. When Maine reopens, it will be gradual and cautious, Mills said last week.

Mills said she will soon release a plan to restart the economy, though she didn’t give details, such as how soon “nonessential” businesses might be able to reopen.

As Mainers settle in to this new reality, questions of etiquette and social cues have arisen around the wearing of face masks – once not recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They are now recommended but not required.

Experts say the masks are for the protection of others: An asymptomatic carrier of COVID-19 can use a mask to contain respiratory emissions that might infect others. Some think they’re unnecessary. But others, noting that they’re mainly for the protection of others, think it’s inconsiderate not to wear them – a disparity that has led to tense confrontations in public places.

County by county on Sunday, there were 42 coronavirus cases in Androscoggin County, four in Aroostook, 454 in Cumberland, 27 in Franklin, nine in Hancock, 101 in Kennebec, 14 in Knox, 12 in Lincoln, 15 in Oxford, 53 in Penobscot, one in Piscataquis, 18 in Sagadahoc, 17 in Somerset, 48 in Waldo, two in Washington, and 196 in York.

Though some counties – Cumberland, Kennebec and York – are far ahead in cases, public health officials have warned repeatedly that cases are being undercounted because of a lack of testing supplies. All Mainers should take precautions as though the virus is already in their communities, authorities say.

By age as of Sunday, only 2.1 percent of patients were under 20, while 10.4 percent were in their 20s, 10.4 percent were in their 30s, 13.3 percent were in their 40s, 19.2 percent were in their 50s, 17 percent were in their 60s, 14 percent were in their 70s, and 13.5 percent were 80 or older.

Despite making up a small share of total cases, people in the 8o-and-over group have accounted for roughly half of coronavirus deaths in Maine, a Press Herald analysis found last week.

Women were still becoming infected at higher rates than men, with 54.2 percent of total cases.

Maine’s hospital readiness held steady on Sunday morning, with 162 intensive care unit beds available of 329 around the state, 19 of which were occupied by COVID-19 patients. Of 315 ventilators, 296 were available, and seven were serving coronavirus patients.

Maine also had 394 alternative ventilators approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The Maine CDC has periodically been releasing numbers of negative tests for COVID-19, giving some context to the rising numbers of confirmed cases. As of April 22, the last update, 16,784 people had tested negative.

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