New COVID-19 cases rise again, number of Maine hospitals peaks in 7 months

Maine reported the largest single-day total of new COVID-19 cases in four months on Wednesday, and hospitalizations reached their highest level since the winter.

In addition to the 433 new cases, two other people have died.

With Wednesday’s total, the seven-day daily average of cases rose to 283, from 173 two weeks ago and up from 79 cases on average in the same period last month, according to data tracked by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The seven-day positivity rate, or the percentage of all tests that come back positive, rose to 4.8%.

CDC spokesman Robert Long said this week the state receives a high volume of test results every day and has not been able to process them all in a 24-hour period. This means that each daily count may reflect positive tests over several days.

All 16 counties in Maine are experiencing significant or high viral transmission, defined by the US CDC as at least 50 or 100 cases, respectively, per 100,000 people in the past seven days. According to CDC guidelines, masks are recommended in all indoor public places in Maine, regardless of immunization status.

Piscataquis County, which has the second-lowest vaccination rate of any county, added 37 new cases on Wednesday and its seven-day case rate of 399 per 100,000 people is the highest in the state. Aroostook County, which also has a vaccination rate well below the state average, added 69 cases on Wednesday, and its seven-day rate rose to 310 per 100,000 population. Penobscot County, which has also been a hot spot in recent times, has reported 91 new cases, most from all counties.

Overall, there have been 76,289 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 and 934 deaths since the pandemic reached Maine in March 2020. Both remain among the lowest per capita of any state, even with the recent increase, which paralyzes all other states as well. .

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 rose to 150 on Wednesday – the highest total since February 4. Of these, 66 are in intensive care and 26 on ventilators. In less than a month, the total number of hospitalizations has tripled and the number of people in intensive care has reached levels not seen since the winter.

Hospitalizations are often at least two weeks late from peak cases, so there is growing concern that the situation may worsen, although the overwhelming majority of those recently hospitalized are not vaccinated.

For example, of the 47 patients treated for COVID-19 in the Northern Light Health Network, which includes Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, 44 are not vaccinated. Of the 25 who are in intensive care, 24 are not vaccinated.

“Vaccinations can turn COVID-19 into a disease we can manage,” said Dr. James Jarvis, COVID-19 Incident Commander for Northern Light Health.

Of the 50 people hospitalized for COVID-19 in the MaineHealth network on Wednesday, 35 are unvaccinated, or 70%, said spokesman John Porter. This number fluctuates, however, and has reached 90 percent or more. While he cannot provide the number of intensive care patients who are unvaccinated, he said last week they all were.

Jarvis said Northern Light staff had anticipated the possibility of having to erect a temporary facility if demand exceeds capacity, but he hopes it doesn’t come to that. In the meantime, staff at all hospitals in the network communicate regularly and change patients as needed to meet demands. On rare occasions recently, he said, staff have delayed elective medical procedures.

“But it is worrying. There are very few open beds available to us, ”Jarvis said, adding that the shortage could affect others who may need to be hospitalized for a heart attack, accident or childbirth.

When it comes to vaccinations, the state continues to see a steady increase in the daily doses given over the past few weeks, likely in response to both the delta variant and a growing number of vaccination warrants. As of Wednesday, 845,675 final doses had been administered, representing 62.9% of all residents and 71.4% of eligible 12 years and older.

Over the past two weeks, the number of daily doses given per day has increased by 30%, according to the Maine CDC.

Gaps persist, however, among young Mainers and rural county residents who have not yet been vaccinated.

For example, only five counties have vaccination rates higher than the state rate, led by Cumberland County at 74%. Four counties – Somerset, Piscataquis, Franklin and Oxford – have rates below 54%, more than 20 percentage points behind Cumberland County.

The difference is even more marked among young adults. For those aged 20 to 39, the rate in Cumberland County is only slightly higher than the county’s overall rate of 75 percent. All other counties except one have rates below 60 percent in this age group.

In Somerset County, only 38 percent of 20-39 year olds are fully immunized, and in Piscataquis County, the rate is only 40 percent.

The U.S. CDC on Tuesday instructed unvaccinated Americans not to travel during the upcoming Labor Day weekend. New cases are on average around 160,000 a day in the United States, the highest since January.

Maine is now a full month away from the deadline for most healthcare workers to be fully immunized. Those who aren’t have until September 17 to get a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine.

There has been some setback to the mandate, including concerns about the impact on an already precarious workforce, but it remains to be seen how many employees could quit their jobs or be made redundant if they don’t comply. not.

Paul Bolin, director of human resources at Northern Light Health, said 88% of employees are now fully immunized. On Wednesday, he said, 23 of the network’s approximately 12,000 staff resigned due to their tenure. Bolin did not specify where these employees worked, citing confidentiality reasons.

“We continue to work with staff to address any hesitation or concerns,” he said, adding that people who are not vaccinated are being removed from next month’s schedules.

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