The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Saturday reported 45 new cases of the novel coronavirus and one more death, capping a week of higher totals as testing ramps up around the state.

The report brings the total number of cases to 1,648, counting both confirmed cases and “probable” cases, which haven’t been confirmed at the same level of testing. There were 171 probable cases on Saturday.

The man reported dead on Saturday was in his 90s and lived at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Scarborough, a spokesman for the Maine CDC said.

Subtracting numbers of patients who have recovered – 1,012 – and died, there were 566 active cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, as of Saturday.

A swell in numbers of new confirmed cases is connected to the recent expansion of Maine’s testing program. Earlier this month, Gov. Janet Mills announced a partnership with Westbrook-based Idexx Laboratories to roughly triple the state’s testing supply.

That effort is already well on its way. As of this past week, Maine’s testing supply had more than doubled. On Saturday, Maine CDC spokesman Robert Long said the public health agency would soon be able to test any sample it receives. On Monday, he said, access protocols for who can get tested will effectively become moot.

Health officials have long warned that the official number of confirmed cases is lower than the true number because of limited testing, and now that is beginning to change.

The apparent rise in total cases comes as the curve of hospitalizations remained flat for the fifth straight week, indicating success in the state’s efforts to protect the health system from being overwhelmed.

More testing means a faster reopening schedule as the state’s economy gears up for the tourist-driven summer, but many hotel and lodging businesses, which may now take reservations starting June 1, say it’s unclear how they’re supposed to enforce quarantine rules targeting out-of-state visitors.

Guidance from state officials says out-of-state residents should self-quarantine for 14 days, the incubation period of the virus, after arriving in Maine. But hotels are wondering whether they’re responsible for making sure visitors follow these rules – and whether, given uncertainty and fear amid the pandemic, Maine will see much of a tourist season at all.

County by county on Saturday, there were 120 COVID-19 cases in Androscoggin, seven in Aroostook, 821 in Cumberland, 33 in Franklin, 10 in Hancock, 120 in Kennebec, 21 in Knox, 17 each in Lincoln and Oxford, 93 in Penobscot, one in Piscataquis, 26 in Sagadahoc, 20 in Somerset, 50 in Waldo, two in Washington and 288 in York.

The county figures are cumulative over the course of the epidemic.

By age, only 3.3 percent of patients were under 20, while 11.8 percent were in their 20s, 12.2 percent were in their 30s, 15.6 percent were in their 40s, 19.2 percent were in their 50s, 15.8 percent were in their 60s, 11.3 percent were in their 70s, and 10.9 percent were 80 or older.

Women still made up the majority of cases: 52.6 percent.

By race, the Maine CDC identified two patients as “American Indian or Alaskan Native,” 22 as “Asian or Pacific Islander,” 140 as “black or African American,” 980 as “white,” three people as two or more races, and 37 as an “other” race. Many more patients – 331 – did not disclose their race.

Data continue to show a racial disparity in COVID-19 cases in Maine. Black Mainers on Saturday accounted for 8.5 percent of total cases, despite making up 1.6 percent of the population.

The disparity is greater in Maine than in other northern New England states. Health officials here are struggling to strike a balance between spreading awareness of the problem and protecting vulnerable populations from stigma. Maine, unlike other states in the region, does not report deaths by race or ethnicity, nor does it break down confirmed cases by race at the county level.

By ethnicity, 44 patients were identified as “Hispanic,” 973 as “not Hispanic,” and another 498 did not disclose that information.

Maine’s hospital resources are still holding up. Thirty-seven people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 were hospitalized on Saturday, 19 of whom were in critical care and 10 of whom were on ventilators.

There were 174 intensive care unit beds available around the state of a total 360, and 250 ventilators available of a total 311. Maine had another 426 alternative ventilators, which have been approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

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