For now, the extra-contagious delta variant accounts for practically all cases in the U.S. and continues to inflict misery at a time when many hospitals are struggling with shortages of nurses and a backlog of patients.
Health
Posted inHealth, Local & State
Maine struggles with testing shortage as COVID-19 surge is expected to intensify
The delta variant continues to drive a surge in cases and hospitalizations as Maine health officials closely watch the omicron variant, which was first detected in the U.S. Wednesday.
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Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Maine health officials monitor new variant as delta drives record COVID-19 hospitalizations
Health officials are still waiting to see what effect the holiday weekend will have on transmission, but they expect cases to surge again.
Posted inHealth, Nation & World
NYC approves safe sites for drug use, aiming to curb overdoses
While opponents say the move creates hubs of drug use, supporters say it provides a space for users to avoid a fatal overdose.
Posted inHealth, Kennebec Journal, Local & State, News
Need for faster mental health care is focus of Augusta summit addressing ‘cracks in the system’
The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified longstanding problems with mental health care as the demand for treatment has increased, experts say.
Posted inHealth, Nation & World
FDA panel narrowly backs first-of-a-kind COVID-19 pill from Merck
If authorized, the pill would be the first that doctors could prescribe for patients to take on their own to ease symptoms and speed recovery, a major step toward reducing hospital caseloads and deaths.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Infections, deaths and hospitalizations mount as Maine braces for post-holiday rise in COVID-19
Maine set a new hospitalization record as health officials gear up for the possible arrival of a new variant, omicron, that has the world on edge.
Posted inHealth, Nation & World
New variant cause for ‘concern, not panic,’ Biden says
The president urges 80 million unvaccinated Americans to get their shots, for the vaccinated to get boosted and for everyone to mask up.
Posted inHealth, Local & State, News
Maine officials, scientists monitoring new omicron variant as governor urges vaccinations
As of Monday, 322 individuals were in the hospital with COVID-19, including 99 in critical care.
Posted inHealth, Nation & World
What we know and don’t know on new COVID-19 variant
On Friday, the WHO designated it as a “variant of concern,” naming it “omicron” after a letter in the Greek alphabet.