State health officials reported 313 additional cases of COVID-19 in Maine on Monday as well as six additional deaths among individuals with the disease.
To date, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked 29,611 total confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 since the coronavirus since appeared in Maine in March. The 313 cases reported on Monday is lower than the seven-day average of 522 cases, although the state health lab frequently receives fewer tests for processing or results from other labs during weekends.
With the six additional deaths reported Monday, Maine’s death toll amid the COVID-19 pandemic stands at 438.
A woman walks through Monument Square in Portland on Friday. Derek Davis/Staff Photographer Buy this Photo
Meanwhile, thousands of additional people are being vaccinated for COVID-19 daily, although the pace of vaccinations — in Maine and nationwide — has been slower than anticipated.
The Maine CDC reported that 55,775 vaccination shots had been administered in Maine as of Monday. That figure includes 49,794 initial doses of the two-shot regimen as well as 5,981 second shots with either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines.
Vaccinations are averaging roughly 12,000 per week in Maine, far short of the 50,000 weekly vaccinations that state health officials say is necessary to turn the tide against the virus and avoid another surge next fall. Shipments from the federal government have been slower than anticipated, although Maine has consistently ranked among the states with the highest vaccination rates in the early weeks of the rollout.
Maine had administered four doses for every 100 residents as of Monday, which was the third-highest rate in the country after West Virginia and South Dakota, according to tracking by Bloomberg. The state had administered 57 percent of the 96,475 doses distributed to the state, which is the fifth-highest percentage nationally.
But in order to quickly achieve herd immunity among Maine’s population of 1.3 million people, state health officials will likely have to hold mass-vaccination events, which is a logistical challenge given the transmission risks at large gatherings. Those could be held at civic centers, in schools or community centers, although discussion of such events is still in the early stages given the limited vaccine supply.
Maine’s vaccination plan is currently focused on health care professionals, along with residents and staff of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. The next phase of vaccinations, which is expected to begin in February, will target Mainers age 75 or older and essential frontline workers, such as police officers, teachers, grocery store workers, postal clerks, daycare workers and those involved in food/agricultural production.
There were 195 people hospitalized with COVID-19 statewide Monday, which is down slightly from the peak of 205 hospitalizations reported on Friday. Of the total, 57 individuals were in critical care units.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, is slated to provide an update on the COVID-19 situation in the state at 2 p.m.
This story will be updated.
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