Sept. 6 (UPI) — The United States added more than 50,000 new coronavirus cases and 965 deaths, public health officials confirmed Saturday, as college students underwent mandatory quarantine in Wisconsin and officials linked a deadly outbreak in Maine to a wedding.
Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 tracker reported 965 coronavirus deaths and 50,502 new cases in the United States at the end of Friday, bringing the cumulative U.S. totals to 188,096 deaths and more than 6.2 million infections.
Friday marked the first day in more than two weeks that the country has reported more than 50,000 new cases in a day.
Public health officials in Maine say an indoor wedding that violated attendance limits caused a coronavirus outbreak that has killed three people and infected nearly 150 others.
The reception, which took place Aug. 7 at Big Moose Inn Cabins and Campground in the town of Millinocket, situated about 70 miles north of Bangor, drew about 65 guests.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ executive orders limit indoor gatherings to 50 people.
At the end of August, 53 cases were linked to the reception, and a week later that number had climbed to 134.
The three individuals who have died due to the outbreak did not attend the wedding.
One guest was an employee at the York County Jail, which has since identified 72 cases; an outbreak of 10 people has been linked to a Maine church led by the pastor who officiated the wedding.
University of Wisconsin-Madison ordered students in several fraternity and sorority houses to quarantine for two weeks after 38 students in the school’s Greek system tested positive this week.
“Our goal is to stop any further spread of the virus among our students and the broader community,” Jake Baggott, executive director of University Health Services, said. “We’re working closely with county health officials, student leaders, chapter advisers, and the housing corporations that own the chapter houses to address this quickly and thoroughly.”
