Maine CDC reports 54 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, no additional deaths

Maine health officials reported 54 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, nearly half the total a day earlier, but still much higher than daily totals from a few weeks ago.

No additional deaths were reported.

The seven-day daily case average has been steadily rising since it hit around 18 cases per day earlier this month. It now has 59 cases, according to data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Cases topped 100 on Thursday for the first time in more than a month.

Of the new cases reported on Friday, 17 were reported in York County, which has seen the largest increase in new transmissions in the past two weeks, possibly attributable to tourist traffic.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 69,834 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 and 891 deaths in the state.

As of Friday, there were 25 people in Maine hospital with COVID-19, including 16 in intensive care and seven on ventilators. The number of daily hospitalizations has remained stable for over a month, but it is often a lagging indicator of the increase in cases.

The overwhelming majority of people hospitalized are not vaccinated, and Maine CDC director Dr Nirav Shah said on Friday that the average age of people hospitalized with COVID-19 was 57. In January, during the worst time of the pandemic, the average age was 72.

Cases have increased in all 50 states in recent weeks as the highly transmissible delta variant takes hold. The increase in Maine has not been as strong as in other states with lower vaccination rates, but Shah also said that the delta variant does not appear to be the main driver of the new transmission here yet.

While the growing number of cases is alarming, experts said those fully vaccinated remain well protected. They can still contract the virus, but they are much less likely to develop severe symptoms if they do. Among people hospitalized with COVID-19 in recent weeks, the US CDC said 97% are unvaccinated. Likewise, the overwhelming majority of recent deaths from COVID-19 have occurred in people not fully vaccinated.

Still, the Biden administration is reportedly considering reinstating a mask warrant, even for those vaccinated, in a bid to slow the recent wave. Some communities, including Los Angeles County, have already reinstated warrants.

In Maine, some healthcare providers have started expanding COVID-19 testing options again as cases increase.

The Northern Light Mercy Hospital announced on Friday that starting in August, its walk-in care sites in Gorham, Windham and Westbrook will offer testing, as will the Northern Light Pharmacy on Fore River Parkway and the Northern Light Mercy Lab. on State Street in Portland.

Experts also continue to stress the importance of vaccinations, which have declined dramatically over the past two months.

As of Friday, 60% of all Mainers – and 68% of eligible 12 years and older – had been fully immunized. Maine ranks behind Vermont and Massachusetts in the states with the highest rate, according to a Bloomberg tracker. The national rate, however, for all Americans, has yet to reach 50 percent, and 11 states – almost all in the south – have rates below 40 percent.

Vaccinations have been stagnant for weeks, including in Maine, where the rate of young adults continues to lag. Among people in their twenties, for example, only 51 percent are vaccinated and the rate is much lower in some rural counties. In Piscataquis, Somerset and Washington counties, less than one in three adults in their 20s has been vaccinated.

This story will be updated

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