Maintainers under 30 drive in new COVID-19 cases

People under the age of 30 are responsible for a growing proportion of the new COVID-19 cases in Maine, as a new upsurge increases the infections again.

The increase comes as the vaccination of the age group of more than 50 years expands rapidly and from Wednesday it starts to be eligible for all Mainers 16 and older.

By the end of March, people under 30 were responsible for 34.6 percent of all COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Maine over the past 13 months. It rose slightly from 33.8 percent two weeks earlier and is an increase of about 3 percent compared to the share that was among the crowd of under 30 at the beginning of the year.

The age distribution of cases has changed dramatically in one year. As of March 31, 2020, people younger than 30 made up only 11.7 percent of all Maine cases, while those 60 or older made up 44.2 percent.

Maintainers in their 20s are now responsible for 18.2 percent of all positive cases since the pandemic began. This is the highest percentage of positive cases among all age groups. However, the most dramatic increase in the number of cases in the first three months of 2021 was among those under 20 years of age.

By January 1, there were 3,555 cases among those under 20. By March 31, the number had risen to 8,392 cases. This is an increase of 139 percent. The next biggest jump, of 104 percent, was among Mainers in their 20s, followed by individuals in their 40s.

In the first three months of the year, the number of residents under the 70s and 80s grew the least – by 78 and 63 percent respectively – reflecting the state’s efforts to vaccinate those two age groups. While Mainers 70 or older so far account for about 11 percent of COVID-19 cases in the state, they account for 85 percent of all deaths.

Case numbers are rising in Maine – and the average age of infected individuals is getting younger – despite a vaccination campaign reaching about a third of the state’s residents.

On Friday, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 402 additional cases of COVID-19, the first time since Feb. 2 that the daily case count has exceeded 400. And it was the 11th time in 16 days that the number of cases the CDC has visited was 200.

Most of the 402 new cases date to Sunday, but were added to the total Friday as Maine CDC epidemiologists do their job through a backlog with positive test results reported to the agency. Maine CDC spokesman Robert Long said 40 of the 402 new positive cases were reported Thursday. But he said the number of cases for that day and previous days could also increase as epidemiologists review reports to confirm that these are new cases and not repeated positive results from people already diagnosed with COVID-19.

‘We are back in a situation where a sustained increase in the number of positive test results means that it takes between 24 and 48 hours to review incoming results, not the 24 hours or less that was the norm, except during the increase. from the end of November to early January, ”Long said.

With the 402 new infections, Maine’s running average number of cases rose from seven days to 253, from 198 a week earlier and an average of 137 daily cases for the week ending February 20th. The state’s peak, averaging seven days of 624 took place on January 15th.

The Maine CDC also reported another death Friday afternoon, identified as a man over 80 in York County.

Public health officials in Maine and across the country have expressed concern about the possibility of another increase in COVID-19 cases threatening the progress in fighting the deadly disease with vaccinations. Maine has set a new record for shots fired on Thursday – 21,829 shots – for the second consecutive day, with the rate likely to increase next week as the state increases eligibility for all over 16s.

Dr Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, noted that the positive test rate of the state is also increasing, which is another possible sign that the virus is spreading faster. While the daily, combined positivity rate for both molecular and antigen tests has fluctuated from a high of 4.9 percent to a low of 1.8 over the past two weeks, the line is up. Friday’s combined positive rate was 3.5 percent.

“A broader qualification is coming next week,” Shah said in a tweet. ‘Please, take a chance. We talk a lot about the light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines are our vehicle from that tunnel. ”

To date, there have been 744 deaths associated with COVID-19 in the state and the CDC in Maine has detected a total of 51,189 confirmed or probable cases of the virus since March 2020.

Maine’s vaccination campaign is gaining momentum, and is expected to accelerate next week thanks to the possible large increase in federal government doses.

As of Friday morning, 435,700 individuals – or 32.4 percent of Maine’s residents – had received at least one dose of vaccine, while second or last shots were given to 277,098 individuals, representing 20.6 percent of the population.

Government Janet Mills on Thursday extended Maine’s fitness window to all state residents 16 and older from Wednesday. The decision means an estimated 470,000 Mainers are eligible to get a shot 12 days earlier than previously planned, though Mills urged residents to be patient with healthcare providers while trying to book appointments.

The provinces of York, Androscoggin and Cumberland still have the highest per capita infection rates in the state, with the rate of York at 524 cases for every 10,000 inhabitants. Waldo County has the lowest percentage of 181 confirmed or probable infections per 10,000 residents.

However, Maine CDC data show that more rural counties experienced the largest increase in percentage terms in March.

The total number of cases in Piscataquis County, which was consistently among the lowest infection rates, rose by 34 percent between March 1 and 31, while Knox and Waldo counties rose by 24 and 20 percent, respectively. Kennebec, Penobscot and Hancock also rose more than 15 percent in March.

Sporadic outbreaks are still a problem on some campuses in Maine and at higher education institutions across the country.

Bates College on Thursday shut down all of its nearly 1,800 students as the number of cases rose to 34, making it the worst outbreak to hit Lewiston School during the pandemic. The University of Maine system also reported 65 known cases on campuses of the system on Friday, which was lower than a record 95 cases last week.

Data from the Department of Education in Maine, meanwhile, indicate that cases are increasing in Maine schools, although the coronavirus is less common among students and school staff than in the general population of the state.

There were 724 confirmed or probable cases among students and staff in schools during the 30 days ending 31 March, compared to 481 cases for the 30-day period ending 10 March, according to weekly reports released by the department was made. Meanwhile, the rate among school students and staff was 30 cases per 10,000 individuals, up from 22 per 10,000 a few weeks earlier, but still lower than the nationwide rate of 41 per 10,000 residents.

Unlike in other states, many Maine schools remained open during parts of the year-long pandemic – often with hybrid models. All 16 provinces in Maine are currently designated as ‘green’ according to the state’s color code reopening model, which means that schools in the provinces can consider personal education as long as they comply with health and safety guidelines.

Many Maine schools expand the number of personal instruction days, and sometimes back to five days a week.

About 200 doctors, nurses, social workers and other health care providers have signed open letters to governments Janet Mills, Shah and the commissioners of the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services to plan for the full and safe reopening of Maine schools without further delay. ”

The doctors’ letter said the pandemic had a devastating toll on children, including a significant increase in suicide attempts and an increase in disruptive behavioral disorders due to social isolation and disruption of established routines. Failure to return to full personal instructions “in a timely manner” could result in harm to the benefits of minimizing the spread of COVID in schools.

“Science and a year of experience at world, national and state level have shown that schools with multiple mitigation strategies are simply not a major driver for community transfer,” reads the letter, a copy of which was released Friday by Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, a registered nurse who signed a joint letter endorsing the sentiments of the doctors. “Maine schools are safe places for educators to work and for children to thrive.”

Hospitalizations remain relatively stable in Maine, with 75 people hospitalized across the country on Friday morning and 25 people in critical care beds. However, the rate of new deaths due to COVID-19 in Maine has dropped significantly as vaccinations among individuals aged 70 years or older increase. As of Friday, 81.5 percent of the approximately 191,000 individuals in that age group had received at least a first dose of vaccine and 74.3 percent had all the required doses.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the seven-day average of new cases nationwide continues to rise, surpassing 62,000 as of Friday. Hospitalizations are also on the rise, Walensky said, even as the country launches an unprecedented vaccination campaign.

“These data remain clear: despite the good news on the vaccination front, we can still not afford to loosen the prevention strategies,” Walensky said Friday during a White House COVID-19 response team briefing. ‘We need to continue the practices of mitigation strategies that we know work, such as wearing a mask and physically distancing ourselves, to slow down the spread of COVID-19 and see the end of this pandemic. This is an important moment for our country. ”

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