It is the 6th of June, the 76th anniversary the D-Day landings in Normandy. This should be a time for reflection, and a time to place our country and our society in perspective. I find myself thinking about all the World War II vets I met during training-many of whom led me to study Parkinson disease. I wonder about those that I never had the chance to meet, and what they would say about what America did with the opportunity paid in blood by the soldiers of our greatest generation.
This is also the end of a week of unrest and protest in our country, triggered by the May 25, 2020 Minneapolis Police killing of George Floyd. Thousands have gathered in U.S. cities (including those in Maine) on multiple occasions since his death to say it is time for a change. The timing is terrible of course, for gathering in large groups, for chanting, for shouting. That kind of activity places everyone present at risk, and in turn, their later contacts. There is after all, a pandemic. There is still a deadly virus in our country, a country which is still reporting more cases than any other in the world by far.
I hope only good comes of these protests. And, if you find yourself joining a gathering, please wear a mask, maintain at least a 6-foot distance from others (ideally much farther if voices are raised), and be aware of your surroundings. As I have discussed here, louder voices, singing, etc. project more respiratory droplets, and the distance increases with effort. If someone is not wearing a mask, move away from them. Avoid shaking hands, linking arms, hugging, and other physical displays so common to these groups. If you protest, do so with you head and your heart.
The same should be kept in mind for political rallies. Yesterday Donald Trump visited Maine and was met with what appeared on White House social media coverage to be an indoor crowd of cheering supporters. Of note, he toured Puritan Medical Products, which produces nasal swabs for testing. Per USA Today, Trump was not wearing a mask while visiting the production floor (also seen on WH social media), and the swabs being made that day were to be discarded.
The current numbers in our state per the Maine CDC include 2,524 cases since testing began, with 1,845 recoveries, and 98 deaths. The number of current active cases is 581, a number which has been declining since a peak of 712 on May 26, 2020. The 7-day average number of active cases stands at 628. This is a trend in the right direction. I hope it continues this way in spite of reopenings and gatherings.
This week the Maine CDC also began listing cases by zip code in order to give a more clear picture of where cases are, or have been, concentrated. Zip codes in which the number of cases were very small were excluded in order to protect the identity of the afflicted. There has been a great deal of discussion about this in news media, regarding where the cases “are,” and how some towns have “no cases.” However, a point that seems missed by most commentators is that these numbers only represent positive results among those who were tested, or those who are presumed on narrow criteria to have had COVID-19 due to close contact with a known case and symptoms consistent with disease (271 of the total).
It should be remembered that there was a long delay in getting test kits to states. While the first case in the U.S. was confirmed January 20, Maine has only been testing since March 12. There was thus a gap of 67 days after that first case in which we could not test anyone in this state. Recall also, that after testing began, it was very limited. In the first several weeks of testing in Maine only those who met strict criteria (usually the very sick) were offered a test. Many others who were presumed infected were told to shelter at home. We don’t have an accounting of those numbers (though it was not a small number).
I know also of presumed cases among people who lived in towns now reported as “no cases.” The point is, don’t be over-confident in seeing those numbers. Continue to act as though you might be capable of either contracting, or asymptomatically spreading COVID-19 until we have a better handle on this situation. We need a vaccine and better treatments, or at least much more widespread testing. Please continue to follow guidance by the Maine CDC and Governor Mills.
Please wear a mask when visiting your doctor. We need to do all we can to limit spread and protect each other. As of the last reporting by the Maine CDC, about 25% of cases in Maine were among health care workers. We are doing the best we can for you. Please help us by wearing a mask, not just around your health care providers, but please also wear a mask or facial covering around others too. It is what smart people do.
If you cannot view the graphic at the top of this post (a chart of cases in Maine), please read the article on the website.
