Maine reported 579 additional COVID-19 cases Thursday; third consecutive day more than 500

Another 579 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Maine on Thursday, and another death, contributing to an explosion of the virus over the past two weeks, mainly driven by younger individuals who have yet to be vaccinated.

The daily average of seven days has risen to above 400 cases for the first time since January 27. Two weeks ago, the daily average was 228, and 182 new cases per day were reported last month, according to data from the Maine. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

After one of the lowest infection rates in the country for most of the pandemic, Maine, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute, had 27.2 cases per 100,000 people in seven days, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute, the 14th highest infection rate in the country. average. Michigan has the worst infection rate in the country at 78.7 cases per 100,000, followed by Rhode Island. Three other states of New England, Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Hampshire are among the top 11 states with a high infection rate. Vermont ranks 18th.

Other states in the northeast, such as New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, also have infection rates that are the worst in the country. Hawaii, Arkansas and Mississippi have the lowest infection rates in the country.

As has been true for the past few days, it’s probably not all the cases of Thursday in Maine that occurred in the previous 24 hours. The state was flooded with more test results than it could verify and analyze on any given day. But the upward trend is unmistakable.

The increase in business in Maine is much better than the country. Over the past month, daily cases have increased by an average of about 17 percent. In Maine, the increase was 119 percent, which is higher than any other state in New England. According to the New York Times, the effects of New Hampshire increased by 73 percent, Massachusetts by 31 percent and Vermont by 30 percent.

Part of the trend, however, is a reflection of testing. Maine has the highest per capita test rate in the country, with 1,632 tests per 100,000 people. According to Johns Hopkins University, it is also one of the lowest percentages of tests that are positive in the country, about 3 percent.

In countries with high positivity but a low number of cases, infection rates are likely to be higher than reported. Cases are not reported because not many tests are taken. Idaho and Iowa, for example, do only about 60 tests per 100,000 people, which is more than 25 times lower than Maine’s.

Both Idaho and Iowa have infection rates per capita much lower than the national average, but with both states’ positivity rates higher than 20 percent, many cases are not recorded. In contrast, states with low positivity rates, such as Maine, report more cases of the disease and give the public a more comprehensive picture of viral activity.

Among the 579 new cases reported Thursday, 265, or 46 percent, were among individuals younger than 30 years. There have now been 55,953 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 and 758 deaths since the Maine pandemic reached 13 months ago.

The director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, dr. Nirav Shah, will host a media conference on Thursday at 2 p.m.

A woman walks along State Street in Portland on Monday, April 5, under the sign of a person wearing a mask with a phrase in French that can be loosely translated as ‘observant’. Staff photo by Gregory Rec

Hospitalizations tipped upward Thursday, from 98 people in a Maine hospital with COVID-19 on Wednesday to 107 on Thursday, including 34 in critical care and 13 in a ventilator. After most of March and April hovered in the 70s and low 80s, hospitalizations have crept higher in recent days, reaching levels not seen since mid-February. A total of 1,751 people were admitted to hospital at one point with COVID-19.

Vaccinations have meanwhile declined this week, a trend attributable to lower doses and Tuesday’s nationwide interruption in the administration of Johnson & Johnson vaccines, allowing experts to study a small number of cases where people who receive the vaccine get unusual blood clots. .

The average number of daily doses given Monday to Wednesday was about 15,000. Last week, when Maine received tens of thousands of doses and is eligible for all residents 16 years and older, the daily shots averaged more than 20,000 between Monday and Friday.

Maine still reaches a milestone Wednesday – 30 percent of the population is now fully vaccinated. Only two other states have rates so high, Alaska and New Mexico, according to a Bloomberg News tracker.

However, there are still large geographical differences in vaccination rates here. Washington County leads the way with 36 percent of residents fully vaccinated, followed by Knox County (35 percent) and Lincoln County (34 percent). On the other hand, only 22 per cent of Androscoggin County residents and 24 per cent of Oxford County residents had their last shots.

Androscoggin County, by the way, reported the third highest number of cases ever on Thursday.

Since vaccinations began in December, a total of 945,186 shots have been fired. Of these, 540,611 were first doses, representing 40.2 percent of Maine’s residents, and 404,575 were final doses, or 30.1 percent. Among those over 60 who are most at risk for hospitalization or death, nearly 70 percent are fully vaccinated.

By comparison, only 14 percent of Mainer’s residents under the age of 40 – the population causing the current increase in cases – are fully vaccinated. That age group is only eligible for one week.

Next week, Maine is expected to receive a similar number of new doses as this week – about 35,000 – although that does not include doses that go directly to retail pharmacies through a partnership with the federal government. But these doses may also be lower, as it was mainly Johnson & Johnson and no additional doses of the vaccine will be given next week.

A federal vaccine advisory committee said Wednesday it wants more information before deciding whether to resume use of Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine. It was agreed to meet again within ten days.

Shah told the Washington Post the decision to keep the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of use, even for a short time, could have major consequences.

“The extension of the break will always lead to the fact that the most vulnerable individuals in the United States who were the best candidates for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will remain defenseless,” Shah said. ‘The danger is the greatest danger, and those who will immediately benefit from vaccination will remain unvaccinated for an unknown period. This would come at a time when the United States has been recording 5,000 deaths across the country over the past seven days. ‘

This story will be updated.

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