As predicted, the number of coronavirus infections grew Tuesday after a Christmas holiday in which many people traveled or gathered with families against official advice.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, predicted another surge of COVID-19 infections because of gatherings and more people getting tested after returning from travel for the holiday.
The Maine CDC reported 590 new cases and seven more deaths on Tuesday. That’s a big increase from the past few days, but it’s lower than last week, when the daily count topped 700 on several days.
Maine’s seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 453.3, which is an increase from 430.7 a week ago and 163.6 a month ago.