AUGUSTA — The Maine CDC has for the first time since the pandemic outbreak released COVID-19 confirmed and probable case data by ZIP code.

Until Wednesday, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah had resisted numerous requests by media outlets around the state for data to be broken down by towns as other states across the nation do. 

In fact, all other states in the New England region have released similar data, as noted by the Bangor Daily News. The BDN noted all other New England states — Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island — had released similar data by the end of April. 

Shah cited, during numerous daily briefings with the media, he and the Maine CDC were concerned people could become too relaxed and not practice the appropriate safety measures if they were made aware of no detected COVID-19 cases within their ZIP code. 

With the data release, the Maine CDC continues to urge all individuals in Maine — resident or not — to abide by all established COVID-19 guidelines. 

The Maine CDC noted there are three exceptions to the data release to ensure compliance with its privacy policy: case counts are suppressed in zip codes with fewer than 50 people; exact case counts are suppressed in all zip codes with five or fewer cases; in counties where total case counts are low enough that zip code data could indirectly reveal the identity of a case all zip codes in the county are suppressed.

To view the complete table for ZIP codes that fall in Knox and Waldo counties and Waldoboro of Lincoln County, please click here.