Maine reports 506 new cases of COVID-19, 14 outbreaks in school

Maine reported 506 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday. The state processes the untreated portion of the test and patients fill a record number of intensive care units. Eight more people died.

The state has also reported 14 active outbreaks in schools, but schools have not been considered a source of infection so far, state health officials said. Instead, students were thought to have been exposed to the virus in the community as delta variants spread throughout the state.

Among the outbreaks at school are four at Goham’s Great Falls Elementary School, four at Wyndham High School, and at least three at Massabesic High School in Waterboro. Outbreaks are defined as three or more cases in one place.

As a result of exposure to COVID-19, at least seven high school soccer matches have been postponed or canceled so far this season. In general, unvaccinated students who are in close contact with others infected with COVID-19 should be quarantined, but exposed vaccinated students should not be quarantined.

According to news reports, the vaccine is not yet available to people under the age of 12, but the Food and Drug Administration plans to approve the Pfizer vaccine for ages 5-11 later this fall. Its approval may occur before Halloween or before Thanksgiving.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Maine has recorded 79,929 cases of COVID-19, killing 959 people.

7 days The average daily new case on Friday was 337Compared to 371 a week ago and 147 a month ago. According to the Harvard Global Health Institute, Maine has the sixth lowest virus prevalence in the country, with a national average of 45 cases per 100,000 people, compared to 26.7 cases per 100,000 people. Connecticut has the lowest rate in the country at 15.4, but hit states like Tennessee, South Carolina, and Kentucky experience a rate of more than 90 cases per 100,000 people.

President Biden announced Thursday as pandemics are still skyrocketing in many parts of the country. Drastic new vaccination obligationsThis includes requiring workers to be vaccinated or tested weekly and federal workers and health care workers to be vaccinated in transactions with more than 100 employees. increase. Approximately one in three Maine workers will be affected by the new mission.

At a media briefing on Wednesday, Dr. Niraveshire, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Maine, said agency staff needed to review 2,400 to distinguish between new infections and repeated positive tests in known cases. He said he was working on more positive test results. ..

Shah said the main CDC received 420-440 positive test results daily and added staff to the review team.

“We anticipate a persistent and large number of cases as we pass through 2,441 labs,” Shah said Wednesday.

A total of 192 hospitalizations in Maine, as of Friday, are still shy to peak numbers last winter, 72 patients in the intensive care unit Beds are higher than at any point during the first peak of the pandemic last January. The number of ICU cases fell slightly from the 74 highs on Thursday. In addition, 37 of these people (about 20% of all hospitalizations) needed a ventilator to assist in breathing.

According to the main CDC, 70-75% of hospitalized people, and one day almost 100% of people in the ICU, have not been fully vaccinated with COVID-19.

“It’s a deep concern,” Shah said of the current hospitalization and record number of ICU patients. “There is a saying that predictable things are preventable. It’s like staying up late. Delta surges were predictable. The problem was during hospitalization, in the ICU, or using a ventilator. How many examples of people are doing it that can be prevented? “

This story will be updated

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