23 more deaths, 417 COVID-19 cases reported in Maine

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday reported 23 new deaths among people with COVID-19, as well as 417 more cases of the viral illness.

As Maine enters the eleventh month of the global pandemic, the state has seen a downward trend in new cases reported daily from a month ago, although new infections are still exponentially higher than during summer. However, Tuesday’s 23 deaths were one of the largest totals reported to date.

Not all of these deaths occurred in the previous days. As was the case on other days with an unusually high death toll for Maine, the vast majority of deaths reported on Tuesday – 21 of 23 – have occurred in recent weeks but have been linked to COVID-19 by Maine CDC staff during a review of civil status registers.

Yet more than 65% of the 618 deaths in Maine have occurred since Thanksgiving, and more than 85% of those who have died after contracting COVID in Maine were aged 70 or older.

The seven-day moving average of new cases was 323 on Tuesday, up from 493 daily cases for the week ending January 25. The highest seven-day average of 626 cases in Maine occurred on January 15 at a time when the state was experiencing a chain of days with more than 800 cases, according to figures from the Maine CDC.

To date, there have been a total of 39,960 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 since March, 70% of which since December 1.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 vaccinations continue to expand, albeit at a slower rate than desired due to a nationwide shortage of doses. Tuesday’s snowstorm also caused the cancellation of many immunization clinics in the state.

As of Tuesday morning, health care providers had administered 117,613 first doses to people in Maine as well as 40,458 second doses with Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. This means that 8.7% of the state’s population received a first dose and 3% received a second dose. Tuesday’s totals were 4,090 more shots than the total of 153,981 shots (first and second doses) reported by the Maine CDC on Monday. The highest number of shots administered in a single day was 8,827 last Thursday.

RN Jess Addy, right, administers a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine last week to Connie Winship, 72, of Waterville at a clinic set up by the Northern Light Inland Hospital at Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield . Photo of Northern Light Inland Hospital

Much of the current phase of the vaccination campaign is focused on Mainers aged 70 or older due to the disproportionate risks the virus poses to the elderly – a population of over 190,000 in Maine, which is the most former state of the country. Officials then plan to expand vaccine eligibility to Mainers aged 65 to 69 as well as adults of all ages with chronic conditions that put them at high risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19.

The first phase of vaccinations, which is nearing completion, focused on vaccinating healthcare professionals, public safety officers, those involved in the COVID-19 response as well as residents and staff retirement homes or other long-term care facilities.

Dr Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, is expected to hold a virtual briefing on the COVID-19 situation at 2 p.m.

This story will be updated.

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