The new guidelines are an attempt to reduce the risk of transmission while minimizing the disruption to people’s daily routines.
Health
After taking last year off, the flu is back in Maine, but off to a slow start
In Maine and nationally, the dominant strain appears to be particularly virulent, but this year’s influenza vaccine appears to be a good match for it, said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, MaineHealth’s chief health improvement officer.
Maine EMS panel narrowly approves recommendation to continue trauma patient transfers to CMMC
Trauma Advisory Committee directs review of EMS Trauma System Plan.
New emergency department caps Mercy Hospital’s multi-year consolidation
Patients and staff will move from the 80-year-old downtown Portland hospital to Mercy’s Fore River medical complex next week.
Augusta’s MaineGeneral Medical Center looks to expand services, rebuild workforce in 2022
The pandemic resulted in some of the hospital’s greatest challenges in 2021, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
Federal ambulance crews arrive to help Maine hospitals handle surge
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is sending a total of 16 emergency medical technicians and paramedics to eight hospitals across the state.
U.S. CDC recommends shorter COVID-19 isolation, quarantine times
U.S. health officials are cutting isolation restrictions for Americans who test positive for the coronavirus and shortening the time that close contacts have to quarantine
Fast-spreading omicron variant becoming dominant in Maine
Newly released data show that omicron went from less than 1% of COVID-19 cases in the state to 10% in 1 week this month, and it already may be causing the majority of new cases statewide.
New easy-to-use COVID-19 pills come with a catch
The challenge is getting tested, getting a prescription and starting the pills in a short window.
Preliminary data from U.K. suggests hospitalization less likely with omicron
Britain’s public health agency says preliminary data suggests that people with the omicron variant of the coronavirus are 50 to 70 percent less likely to be hospitalized than those with the delta strain.