The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported another 218 cases of COVID-19 on Sunday and no additional deaths, a slight decrease in the recent increase in the number of cases, but not enough to increase weekly averages.
Maine’s vaccination effort and an increase in infections, mostly among young people, have both increased over the past few weeks. The vaccination capacity of the state has recently expanded enough to bring doses to home-based Mainers and be eligible for residents over the age of 16. But on Sunday, 94 of the 218 new cases in people were under 30 – 43 percent of the daily total.
Maine’s cumulative cases of COVID-19 rose to 53,960 on Sunday, of which 40,916 were confirmed by tests and 13,044 are considered probable cases of COVID-19. The average of seven days of new daily falls fell slightly to 314 on Sunday, below the recent high of 333.8 on Saturday.
Fifty-seven people have been killed by COVID-19 since the Maine pandemic began.
Many caregivers with medical conditions that leave them at home are just as vulnerable to COVID-19 as long-term caregivers who were among the first to be vaccinated. Due to the limited inventory and the logistical problems of organizing home visits for vaccinations, healthcare providers now only reach the home-bound population.
As of Friday, about 82 percent of Mainers 70 and older received at least one dose. But vaccination rates have slowed among the population as suppliers struggle to bring shots to older Mainers that are more difficult to reach.
Increased stock has helped release doses for people who cannot leave home to get it. The arrival of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has also helped the population, as only one visit is needed and the J&J vaccine is more stable on the shelf.
Meanwhile, with vaccination rates expected to rise this summer, many outdoor fairs and festivals are planning to reopen in Maine this year. The Cumberland Fair, which typically houses 70,000 people at its 100-acre fair in September, will reopen, “with adjustments to make people feel comfortable,” an organizer said.
Recurring events include the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity, also in September, and the Fryeburg Fair in October.
The Maine Lobster Festival and Bath Heritage Days are still being canceled.
As of Sunday, 511,040 Mainers had received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 376,752 their final dose. Out of Maine’s 1.3 million population, 38.02 percent received their first dose, according to Maine CDC statistics.
According to Sunday, there were 5,555 coronavirus cases in Androscoggin, 1,473 in Aroostook, 14,688 in Cumberland, 1,046 in Franklin, 1,131 in Hancock, 4,700 in Kennebec, 846 in Knox, 708 in Lincoln, 2,735 in Oxford, 4,859 in Oxford Penobscot, 398 in Piscataquis, 1,087 in Sagadahoc, 1,526 in Somerset, 739 in Waldo, 795 in Washington and 11,390 in York.
At age 16.8 percent of the patients were younger than 20, while 18.4 percent were in their twenties, 14.3 percent in their thirties, 13.3 percent were in their forties, 15.2 percent were in their 50s, 11.2 percent were in their 60s, 5.9 percent were in their 70s, and 4.9 percent were 80 or older.
Of the 75 patients who were with COVID-19 in Maine hospitals on Sunday, 29 were in intensive care and 13 in ventilators. The state has 85 beds available for intensive care units, of which a total of 372 and 238 ventilators out of 319 are available. There were also 446 alternative fans.
Worldwide Sunday afternoon, according to Johns Hopkins University, there were 135.7 million cases of COVID-19 and 2.93 million deaths. The United States had 31.1 million cases and 562,059 deaths.
“Previous
Maine’s fairs, and some festivals, plan to return this summer and fall
Next »
Related stories
Invalid username / password.
Check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Use the form below to reset your password. After you submit your account email, we will send you an email with a refund code.