The Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 23 new deaths among individuals with COVID-19 on Tuesday, as well as 417 additional cases of the virus.
As Maine enters the eleventh month of the global pandemic, the state is experiencing a downward trend in new cases reported daily compared to a month ago, although new infections are still exponentially higher than during the summer. However, the 23 deaths on Tuesday were one of the largest totals reported so far.
Not all of these deaths occurred in the preceding days. As was the case on other days with abnormally high mortality rates for Maine, the vast majority of deaths occurred Tuesday – 21 of the 23 – in recent weeks, but were linked by Maine CDC staff to COVID-19 during a review of important records. .
Yet more than 65 percent of Maine’s 618 deaths have occurred since Thanksgiving, and more than 85 percent of those who died after contracting COVID in Maine were 70 years or older.
The seven-day moving average of new cases stood at 323 on Tuesday, compared to 493 daily cases for the week ending January 25. Maine’s highest seven-day average of 626 cases occurred on Jan. 15 at a time when the state was experiencing a string of days with more than 800 cases, according to figures from the Maine CDC.
To date, there have been 39,960 total confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 since March, of which 70 percent have occurred since December 1st.
Meanwhile, vaccinations against COVID-19 are still on the rise, although at a slower pace than expected due to a national shortage of doses. Tuesday’s snowstorm also led to the cancellation of many vaccination clinics in the state.
As of Tuesday morning, health care providers administered 117,613 first doses to individuals in Maine, as well as 40,458 second doses with the Pfizer or Moderna vaccinations. This means that 8.7 percent of the state’s population received a first dose and 3 percent received a second dose. The total Tuesday was 4,090 shots more than the total 153,981 shots (both the first and second doses) reported by the Maine CDC on Monday. The highest number of shots fired in one day was 8,827 last Thursday.
Registered nurse Jess Addy, right, gave a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine to Connie Winship, 72, of Waterville at a clinic set up by Northern Light Inland Hospital at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield last week. Northern Inland Hospital Photo
The current phase of the vaccination campaign is mainly focused on Mainers 70 years or older because of the exorbitant risks the virus poses to older individuals – a population of more than 190,000 in Maine, which is the oldest state in the country. Officials then expect to extend the admission of vaccines to Mainers between the ages of 65 and 69, as well as adults of all ages who have chronic medical conditions, which pose the risk of serious illness or death due to COVID-19.
The first phase of vaccinations, which is nearing completion, was focused on the vaccination of health workers, public safety workers, those involved in COVID-19 response, as well as residents and staff of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, will hold a virtual briefing on the COVID-19 situation at 2 p.m.
This story will be updated.
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