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A dorm community outside of Portland is now the city with the highest rate of coronavirus cases in the state, more than a month after the state began publishing data on coronavirus cases from city to city.
Falmouth, with approximately 12,500 residents, had registered 152 cases of the coronavirus as of July 12, translating to approximately 12 cases per 1,000 residents, according to data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
More than half of Falmouth’s cases have occurred in nursing homes with large outbreaks, and its recent rise to the top of the list shows how quickly granular virus data can change and the difficulties of using that data to gauge where it is. activated the virus in the state as the pandemic continues, according to Maine’s top public health official.
“How [the virus] it moves across the state, areas that were previously higher concentration areas, as those cases resolve and people recover, they may move elsewhere, “Maine CDC Director Nirav said Thursday. Shah.
For example, when the state first released COVID-19 case data from one city to another in early June, Medway in northern Penobscot County had the highest case rate, with about eight cases for each 1,000 residents. However, that city has not seen any new cases in recent weeks, so its per capita case rate has dropped to the sixth in the state. Medway, with a population of less than 1,500, has seen 12 cases since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
The cities surrounding Portland, the epicenter of the virus with 766 cumulative cases and 11.87 cases per 1,000 residents, continue to see higher rates of the disease. However, the data is limited because it does not include zip codes where 50 or fewer people live, and they provide ranges of case numbers for places that have seen five or fewer cases. Furthermore, the data only shows the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic, not the number of active cases.
Shah continued to call for caution against using the data as indicators of where the virus may be absent, noting that people traveling through communities without any recorded cases could transmit the virus.
“From week to week, the complexion complexion in Maine could change very, very quickly,” he said.
In particular, Falmouth has seen large outbreaks in long-term care facilities. In April, Falmouth by the Sea became the fifth long-term care facility in the state to record an outbreak that eventually reached 75 cases. In late June, the Sedgewood Commons nursing home saw an outbreak with 36 cases.
The OceanView at Falmouth retirement community also recorded 11 cases at the beginning of the pandemic.
Hope Cahan, a Falmouth councilman, said part of the city’s high infection rate could also be the result of its proximity to Portland, where many Falmouth residents work.
But Falmouth has proactively responded to the pandemic, Cahan said. Most businesses have adapted to sidewalk and outdoor service, and residents have been consistent in wearing masks.
“I have been very impressed by the community,” he said.
