New Hampshire Republican Gov. [80] Colby College announced that all on-campus classes would end the week of March 12, 2020 and students would move off campus. [33] On March 26, the City of South Portland also announced a similar order beginning March 27 except for permitted activities. [18], On March 16, 2020, Maine was one of the first states to have its application for the United States Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan approved, which would help businesses in Maine recover financial losses due to coronavirus closures. WebThe spread of new coronavirus variants, increased travel and pandemic fatigue are spurring a new rise in Covid-19 cases in Maine and putting more younger people in the hospital, Covid ", Even states with high vaccination rates see upticks. The seven-day average for case counts is over three times higher than it was in March. Covid-19 Cases Rise in Maine Amid Variants, More Travel [38], On March 30, Maine Governor Janet Mills issued "a Stay Healthy at Home directive that requires people living in Maine to stay at home at all times unless for an essential job or an essential personal reason, such as obtaining food, medicine, health care, or other necessary purposes. Success. [116], Island Explorer bus service was cancelled for the 2020 season due to the difficulty of complying with social distancing measures,[119] though limited service is planned to resume in 2021. [22] Governor Mills also announced an emergency measures package which was approved by the legislature to provide $11 million in state funding for COVID-19 response, expand State and local authorities to allow greater flexibility in virus response, and to provide additional support to impacted workers. I think undoubtedly the removal of the mask mandate for public transportation and in flights is contributing to the current surge, said Amy Barczak, an infectious disease specialist at MGH and the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. [20] The Maine Legislature also enacted a supplemental budget of $73 million which focused on coronavirus response, including $1 million to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, $15 million to increase MaineCare reimbursement rates for health care providers, and $38 million to K-12 education to help in the wake of school closures. On April 7, Governor Mills issued an executive order that expanded healthcare access to Maine residents. There are also three additional deaths. Published: Feb. 16, 2022 at 8:47 AM EST Fully vaccinated: 818,713 In Massachusetts, more than 5,500 people tested positive for COVID on Thursday. As more social distancing practices were put into effect, the City of Bangor began using an honor system for the bus service and asked that passengers not occupy the seats directly behind the driver. [110] On March 26, 2021, they announced a return to in person and on campus learning in the fall semester for some classes. The rolling average of daily cases more than doubled from below 30 per day to more than 67 by Friday. This decrease was due almost exclusively to declines in passenger cars using the road, as commercial traffic only declined 1 percent. [77], Bowdoin College announced on March 11, 2020, that students would not be permitted to return to campus from spring break and that the remainder of the semester would be conducted by remote learning. But there is also the factor of waning immunity for those who are fully inoculated, something that other countries have seen as well. As county transmission levels are expected to change daily, the city of Portland is asking the public to remain aware of the current recommendations by visiting the CDCs website, reading and watching the news, following the requirements of private establishments and when in doubt, wearing a mask. Maine is among the 5 states where COVID-19 cases are expected Case Although hospitalizations have declined significantly from the country's summer surge, when more than 104,000 patients were hospitalized at one time, 47,000 patients currently in the hospital with COVID-19 -- an increase of 2,000 from last week. More Mainers are being advised to wear masks indoors as county-level COVID-19 transmission rates rise, with Portland officials issuing a recommendation Thursday that everyone mask-up indoors regardless of vaccination status. [6] On April 29, 8 employees working at a local Tyson Foods meat packaging plant in Portland, Maine tested positive for COVID-19 prompting talks about halting the plant's production. COVID-19: Maine Data| Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) The seven-day average of new cases in Maine rose to 310 on Friday, a nearly 50 percent increase in less than a week, and Maine's case count in the last two weeks has increased 55 percent, according to The New York Times. You will receive an email to complete the registration. Since the onset of the pandemic, LifeFlight of Maine, which provides critical care transport across the state, has not seen a decline in the steady stream of patients in need of urgent care. Because COVID is at a high tide and staying there. The state reported 605 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the highest one-day total since March 4. To get one, go to the subscriptions page. This comes after the Maine CDC reported a spike of over a hundred new cases yesterday. [31] She also issued an executive order which would allow licensed physicians, physician assistants, and nurses who were licensed in another state to be issued an emergency Maine license valid through the declared state of emergency. Keeping the surge somewhat in check, experts said, is a higher level of immunity in the U.S. from vaccination or past infection compared with early winter. [40] Violations of the order could be subject to a penalty of six months in jail or a $1,000 fine. ABC News . Mills, traffic on state roads had declined by double digits. "More than 40% of the country remains unvaccinated. COVID-19 cases on the rise in nearly 2 dozen states. The New coronavirus variant Arcturus, or XBB.1.16, is spreading: What (NY Times) Apr 26, 2022 CDC estimates that 3 in 4 children have had COVID-19 infections and more than half of all Americans had signs of previous infections (US News) Apr 21, 2022 Over the last two weeks, 22 states -- many of them with colder temperatures -- have seen an uptick in daily [55] Baxter State Park, a park independent of the state park system, announced it would close until at least July 1, only permitting walk-in day hikes. The Maine CDC warns the numbers will remain high for the next several days. The state of emergency ended June 30, 2021. "As we go into the winter months with the challenge of a respiratory infection being worse in the winter months, we can get through this if we really put a lot of effort into getting as many people vaccinated as we possibly can," Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said in an interview with NPR, this week. The U.S. CDC defines high transmission as cumulative cases of 100 or more per 100,000 people in the last seven days. Why Are Covid Waldo County remains in the high transmission category, where mask wearing also is recommended. As of February 2, 2021, the Maine Department of Health and Human COVID-19 pandemic in Maine - Wikipedia Whilerecent COVID waves have not brought the surging hospital numbers seen early in the pandemic, Lemieux said there has not been the complete decoupling that was hoped for.. Experts say a confluence of factors is likely driving the country's recent uptick besides cold weather -- largely the more than 107 million Americans who remain completely unvaccinated and continue to account for the majority of new infections and hospitalizations. Mills and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew announced that approximately $11 million would support child care access for essential workers and offer relief for child care providers. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? But the situation has changed in the past week so that there has been more clarity from the U.S. CDC as well as more stability because we are all headed in the same direction. Unfortunately for Maine, that direction is toward transmission rates rising to the point that masks may soon be recommended in most if not all counties, Shah said. Andujar Vazquez is hopeful that case counts will plateau by late-May and return to significantly lower levels by mid- to late-June. [116], MaineDOT has been able to schedule more daytime road work due to the reduced traffic caused by the pandemic, which means expensive night work is not necessary, saving costs. Thank you! Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. That means visitors from those states must quarantine for two weeks or produce a negative coronavirus test. Covid: Why are UK cases so high [12][13], After his death on December 11, 2021, at 62, the Sun Journal reported 2020 U.S. Senate candidate Max Linn may have been the first person in Maine with COVID-19 after he returned from a business trip to Wuhan, China in late December 2019. According to the state agency, this significant increase is due to the processing of backlogged COVID test results using an automated system. "Whether that's an intrinsic property of the virus or the level of vaccination-induced immunity or previous infection-induced immunity is not clear.. COVID Case (Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press) COVID "I always get worried when cases go up but we should be okay.". "We won't have transmission when people are outdoors. A decision on waiving cash tolls would be made based on guidance from government health officials. As the official daily case count rises, more Maine counties have been reclassified as having a moderate risk of virus transmission and increased hospitalizations. New York state court system puts trials on hold again because of rising coronavirus cases . [122] One round trip between Boston and Brunswick was resumed on June 15, 2020. City Manager Jon Jennings is reimplementing increased mask requirements for city staff in city buildings as well. It is unclear if guests wore masks. Such projects include maintenance on several Portland-area bridges on Interstate 295, which can now occur at daytime due to a 60 percent traffic reduction from normal levels. [58][59] The committee consists of thirty-seven members, and is co-chaired by Laurie Lachance, President of Thomas College and former Maine State Economist, and Josh Broder, the CEO of Tilson. Track Covid-19 in Maine - The New York Times "The number of COVID patients we're transporting is remaining the same as it was for the last 19 months. November 1, 2020 / 6:00 PM [63], On May 15, 2021, Gov. Despite widespread availability of the vaccine, we still have pockets of under-vaccinated communities that consistently provide opportunities for the virus to spread," said John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children's Hospital and an ABC News contributor. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Gabrielle Emanuel Twitter Senior Health and Science ReporterGabrielle Emanuel is a senior health and science reporter for WBUR. Mills announced a plan to gradually restart Maine's economy. Across the U.S., coronavirus case numbers have been rising due to the spread of the delta variant, mostly among the unvaccinated. ), First published on November 1, 2020 / 6:00 PM. [83] On March 26, 2020, there were five total members of the Colby College community, including at least two students, who had tested positive for the virus. There's basic arithmetic at play: As more people get vaccinated, even if breakthroughs are rare, a rising number of cases will be among the vaccinated. Maine has been one of the most successful states at controlling the virus, but it's dealing with a wave of new infections. Despite states across the Northeast boasting high vaccination rates, with several jurisdictions reporting full vaccination rates above 70%, several states are struggling through their worst surge yet. Already registered? [60], The city of Biddeford gives an emergency ordinance, which allows retailers and restaurants to use public space with a temporary "special event permit". [62], Gov. There is not an outbreak that is driving it and thus, because theres not an outbreak, it is community transmission, Shah said. COVID As of February2, 2021[update], the Maine Department of Health and Human Services reported 131,530 confirmed cases and 46,971 probable cases in the state, with 1,777 deaths attributed to the virus. What's more, according toHorsburgh, few of the current COVIDpatients in hospitalsare gravely ill. As of Wednesday, just 66 COVID patients were in an intensive care unit, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. This is about 50% higher than a month ago. [15], After the first case was reported on March 12, 2020, Governor Janet Mills declared a health insurance emergency to insure private insurance coverage of coronavirus testing, recommended postponing gatherings of more than 250 people for at least 30 days, and suspended all non-essential out-of-state travel by state employees for 30 days. / CBS Boston. Apr. Similarly, 14 states -- Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont and Wisconsin -- have seen an increase of about 10% or more in hospital admissions over the last week. [76] Summer cruises for the TS State of Maine and the Bowdoin ships were postponed, and students registered to complete a cruise in the summer will have to seek alternative opportunities. The Rising Nepal; Sun, 23 April 2023; Mexico migrant camp tents torched across border from Texas. He surmises that vacation travel and get-togethers gave the virus an opportunity to spread. [111], Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) discontinued face-to-face classroom instruction on March 18, 2020, and also canceled their spring 2020 commencement ceremony. Breakthrough COVID-19 cases are rising in Maine, but theyre still "We're definitely seeing an upswing in Massachusetts," said Robert Horsburgh, an infectious disease doctor and a professor of global health and medicine at Boston University. At Portland Stage, Executive and Artistic Director Anita Stewart said they have adjusted protocols to have all audience members wear masks when attending shows in order to meet the U.S. CDC recommendation. [97], On March 12, 2020, Southern Maine Community College (SMCC) chose to extend its Spring Break and on March 17, 2020, the decision was made to move all courses to an online format, close residence halls, and cancel all gatherings of more than ten people. Published: Feb. 16, 2022 at 5:47 AM PST AUGUSTA, Maine (WABI) - 3,556 new COVID-19 cases are being reported making the new state total 202,221. City Hall remains closed to the general public and is currently open for limited in-person services. [102][103][104] CMCC announced that all summer classes will be online on April 16, 2020, and informed students of financial assistance available through the Federal CARES Act on May 20, 2020. Mills extended the COVID-19 civil state of emergency through June 13, 2021. This issue is not unique to Maine, Judge explained, adding that his colleagues across the country, and in the Northeast, are all still struggling. Because COVID is at a high tide and staying there. The fully vaccinated includes those who have had a first and second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single-dose J&J vaccine. Fact: COVID vaccines are not in the food supply - Los Angeles Times Statistics of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States Don't have a commenting profile? 249 people are now hospitalized with the virus, down 11 from yesterday. The University of Maine System isrequiring vaccines for on-campus students this fall, accelerating a previously stated timeline that called for a vaccine requirement for students and staff after a vaccine received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Login. Why COVID "We know by now that we expect fluctuations in cases," said Andujar Vazquez. And after nearly 10 weeks of declines, national hospitalizations have also begun to increase. 10,112 fresh Covid cases in India. Since mid-October, the average number of new COVID-19 cases has risen by approximately 17%, marking the first consistent increase in national cases in nearly 10 weeks.
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