The state reports 636 new COVID-19 cases, 4 additional deaths

Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention Director, Dr. Nirav Shah, explained on Thursday that the recent pattern is a function of when people are being tested. More go on Monday or Tuesday for tests, which yield results on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday – and then more cases -, he said. He said the broader trends over seven or 14 days are more important than those fluctuations. At the moment, the picture is not clear, although there are some glitters. Maine’s positive testing has declined from 5.9 percent to 3.9 over the past two weeks, or one incubation period, in part due to an increase in testing volume.

‘There are signs on the horizon, for example, because the test has expanded, which has lowered our positivity rate, we will be able to detect more cases better. That’s a good thing, ‘he said. “I would say that I remain concerned about the number of hospitalizations, especially the increase in individuals in the intensive care unit.”

Hospitalizations increased by eight to 190 on Friday, including 61 in intensive care and 19 in a ventilator. Since the onset of the pandemic, 1,309 individuals have been hospitalized at some point with COVID-19. So far in 2021, hospitalizations have remained high, from a minimum of 180 on January 3 to a high of 207 on January 13. The number of patients in intensive care units has not fallen below 50 since 3 January.

Overall, there have been 36,274 confirmed or probable cases and 540 deaths in Maine since the pandemic hit ten months ago. The total business doubled in just over one month. The death toll has more than tripled since two months ago, just before Thanksgiving.

The worrying trends in the case of hospitalization and deaths continue as more and more principals get vaccinated, although efforts are hampered by limited supply. As of Friday, 78,395 people had received at least one dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and 19,876 people had received both doses. Since the first dose was administered on December 15, the state has averaged 2,500 shots per day. It is not clear how many of each were health workers, first responders or residents and staff of long-term care institutions – the categories in phase 1A of the state’s vaccination plan.

The supply remains the biggest barrier. Next week’s dose vaccination to Maine is about 1,000 less than this week, even as hospitals and health care organizations are ready to accelerate vaccinations of Mainers 70 and older, which is the start of Phase 1B. MaineHealth announced Thursday that it plans to open a mass vaccination site at Scarborough Downs, though it could take weeks before enough vaccines make it feasible. Other sites are also discussed.

“We are hopeful that we can soon continue to expand our distribution sites, to rural Maine and smaller areas,” said Jeanne Lambrew, commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, in response to concerns expressed by independent practitioners. . the conversation.

Of the 17,575 doses expected to arrive in Maine next week, 10,900 will go to hospitals, with four facilities – the Maine Medical Center in Portland, the East Maine Medical Center in Bangor, the Maine General Medical Center in Augusta and the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston – 8400, or 77 percent, of hospital doses make up.

Another 3,575 doses go to outpatient practices, including Martin’s Point, InterMed and Penobscot Community Health Care in Bangor, to vaccinate elderly residents.

In particular, no doses are sent to the pharmacy chains RiteAid and Walgreens, which have done vaccination clinics for staff and residents of long-term care facilities. Government officials said they had interrupted to send additional vaccines to the U.S. CDC’s retail pharmacy program because they had adequate doses. Instead, 2,900 doses will be given to 14 independent pharmacies.

Some health organizations already have to twist their limited vaccine dosages.

Dan Loiselle, chief medical officer of InterMed, a major practice practicing in southern Maine, said in a message to patients Friday morning that it “focuses our vaccination efforts on patients 80 years and older, especially those with a medical condition that puts them at greater risk for serious COVID complications. ”

The offer InterMed received this week, Loiselle writes, is less than one-third of what is needed to vaccinate patients 80 and older.

“We also ask that you do not call or email with questions about the availability of vaccines so that our telephone lines can be free for patients calling with acute medical problems,” he said.

Thursday was exactly one year after the first COVID-19 case was discovered in the United States. Since then, there have been nearly 25 million cases and more than 400,000 people have died from the virus – by far the most from any country.

This story will be updated.

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