April 19 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

April 19 evening update: The latest on the coronavirus and Maine

As of 11:15 a.m. Sunday, there are now 867 coronavirus cases in all of Maine’s 16 counties, according to the Maine CDC. That’s up from 847 coronavirus cases on Saturday

Another two Mainers have died, bringing the statewide death toll up to 34.

So far, 136 Mainers have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Of those, 46 people are currently in the hospital, with 18 in critical care units and nine on ventilators.

The Maine CDC reports that 393 people have fully recovered from the coronavirus, meaning there are 474 active cases in the state at this time.

Here’s the latest on the coronavirus and its impact in Maine.

— The Trump administration and Congress are nearing an agreement on an aid package of up to $450 billion to boost a small-business loan program that has run out of money and add funds for hospitals and COVID-19 testing.

— Just as demand is skyrocketing many of the food banks’ sources are drying up. Restaurants, hotels and resorts — many of which are shuttered or sharply limiting their operations — are no longer supplying them with food, while other suppliers are busy restocking grocery shelves.

— The holiest day of the year for Orthodox Christians was reserved and glum in many countries where churches were closed to worshipers for Easter services.

— The state said it started the demolition work of the Grist Mill Bridge in Hampden earlier than expected because efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus have reduced traffic.

— Thousands of Maine fishermen and others in the seafood sector could have qualified for pandemic relief through the Paycheck Protection Program, but many were, apparently, unable to access the benefits before the money ran out.

— Amid reminders to wash your hands and school closings, many may be wondering about how they can tell the difference between the new virus and two others that typically spread during this time of the year: the common cold and influenza.

— Watch: Nirav Shah on tracing the origins of coronavirus cases in Maine

—As of 4:30 p.m. Sunday, the coronavirus has sickened 755, people in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as caused 40,461 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University of Medicine.

—Elsewhere in New England, there have been 36,372 cases and 1,560 deaths in Massachusetts; 17,550 cases and 1,086 deaths in Connecticut; 4,706 cases and 150 deaths in Rhode Island; 812 cases and 37 deaths in Vermont; and 1,342 cases and 38 deaths in New Hampshire, according to the New York Times.