When it comes to how Maine compares to other states’ COVID-19 infection rates, what a difference six weeks has made.
On May 4, Maine had the highest infection rate among all the states.
On Saturday, it was the 47th state in infection rates, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
States with the highest infection rates are Hawaii, Wyoming, Florida, California and New Mexico. The only states with lower infection rates than Maine are South Dakota, Vermont and New Hampshire.
Maine’s seven-day case rate is 110.7 for every 100,000 residents, compared to the national average of 212.4 for every 100,000 people, according to the U.S. CDC.
On Sunday the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported another decline of the number of people hospitalized with the virus.
There were 127 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Maine on Sunday, compared to 136 the day before, according to the state.
Of those hospitalized Sunday, 20 were in critical care units and six on ventilators.
While the coronavirus spring surge is easing in Maine and elsewhere in the Northeast, new virus subvariants are highly contagious and health experts continue to recommend people stay up to date on vaccinations. People who are fully vaccinated can become infected, but in most cases the shots prevent people from being hospitalized.
One example is Dr. Anthony Fauci, 81, who is fully vaccinated and had both boosters, and tested positive after attending his 60th class reunion dinner at Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., on June 10, The Boston Globe reported on Friday. Two others who attended the reunion also tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Globe.
Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert and President Biden’s chief medical adviser, was battling mild symptoms on Wednesday, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Since the pandemic began, Maine has recorded 267,707 cases and 2,408 deaths, according to state data released on Saturday. The Maine CDC does not usually report new case numbers and additional deaths on Sundays and Mondays.
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