Dr. Nirav Shah, Maine CDC director, said the pandemic is at a ‘high plateau’ and elevated case counts are likely to continue.
Health
U.K. authorizes Merck’s antiviral pill, first shown to treat COVID-19
The drug, molnupiravir, was licensed for adults 18 and older who have tested positive for COVID-19 and have at least one risk factor for developing severe disease.
First vaccinations given to young children as COVID keeps tight grip on Maine
The rates of infections and deaths in Maine remain high as schools and healthcare providers ramp up to vaccinate children ages 5 to 11.
Maine reports 862 new cases of COVID-19 over a three-day period
In response to U.S. CDC approval, Maine is expected to begin administering vaccines to 5- to 11-year-olds as soon as next week.
Hundreds of Maine health care workers leave jobs over vaccine mandate, but most stay
Hospitals had a compliance rate of 95% or higher as the mandate took effect Friday.
Augusta-based MaineGeneral loses 191 employees, about 4% of workforce, over COVID vaccine mandate
The staffing disclosure came following last week’s deadline for the state’s health care workers to be fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
MaineHealth receives $1.5 million to help study long-term COVID-19 effects
The study is designed to determine why some people suffer prolonged symptoms or develop new or returning symptoms.
U.S. Supreme Court denies appeal to block Maine’s vaccine mandate
The state’s requirement for health care workers, which took effect Friday, clears a significant legal hurdle in the first appeal of a statewide mandate to reach the Supreme Court.
FDA clears the way for Pfizer COVID-19 vaccinations for children ages 5-11
On Tuesday, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make more detailed recommendations on which youngsters should get vaccinated, with a final decision by the agency’s director expected shortly afterward.
U.S. intelligence agencies don’t expect to determine origins of COVID-19
A White House-ordered review does, however, say that analysts do not believe the virus was developed as a bioweapon and that most agencies conclude it was not genetically engineered.