Positive COVID-19 test in Maine plummeted 80% from its January peak

According to the latest state data, the number of positive COVID-19 tests reported daily to the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has plummeted by 80% since the total peaked in late January.

The daily average of 7-day positive tests on Friday was 485, down from the peak of 2,486 on January 22nd. The state received 244 positive tests on Thursday, compared to 3,400 submitted to the state on January 12.

Positive test results submitted to the CDC must be screened and processed before being counted as new confirmed cases. Some are retests by people who have already tested positive. Also, some of the decline in positive tests may be related to increased access to home tests that have not been submitted to the state.

However, this indicator is one of several real-time measurements that show a continuous improvement in Maine’s pandemic status, such as hospitalization and wastewater data.

But at the same time, pandemic deaths continue to grow in Maine. The state reported 27 additional deaths from COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total pandemic to 1,910.

The large number of deaths reported on Friday is probably Includes deaths from regular reviews of death certificates dating back a few weeks Or the month.

Maine has also added an additional 3,754 confirmed cases of COVID-19 to the pandemic total as health authorities are working to clear untreated positive tests submitted in recent weeks. did. Maine uses a new, partially automated system to categorize the backlog of positive tests, which used to be close to 60,000, but now has more than 30,000 positive results. The system removes duplicate cases and takes other steps to figure out the number of confirmed cases. Prior to the partial automation of the process, Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff were overwhelmed by cases during the Omicron wave and could not process fast enough to prevent backlog.

The new automated process launched this week is currently catching up, but the daily number of cases no longer reflects the current pandemic trend. The widespread use of home tests that are not included in the official count, even without a backlog, means that confirmed cases can no longer be used to monitor pandemic conditions.

All other indicators show that the pandemic is improving in Maine, with communities such as Portland, Bath, and Freeport. End the duty of indoor mask this week. The other two, South Portland and Brunswick, will consider their indoor mask obligations next week.

The Catholic Parish of Portland has made masks an option at eight schools since March 7. Many public schools are waiting for the main CDC’s recommendations on when to make masks an option. The state currently recommends wearing masks at schools, and most districts impose obligations.

Dr. Nirav Shah, main CDC director, said in a media briefing Wednesday that as long as the trend is on track, it may soon be time to recommend masks as an option at school. Mr Shah said he was considering revisiting the mask at school after the February break.

“Trends are encouraging and positive, but what we are looking for now is continuous stability,” Shah said.

Other New England states have already set dates for masking options at schools, including Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont, which has schools with vaccination rates of 80% and above. Rhode Island set masks as an option at school on March 4, but New Hampshire, like Maine, hasn’t set a date yet. Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island have state-wide obligations for indoor masking at schools, and Vermont, Maine, and New Hampshire recommend masking to schools.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the US CDC, also said this week that the latest recommendations on masking could be announced shortly, but she didn’t set a timeline. New guidelines will be announced next week, according to national news reports.

Meanwhile, the number of COVID-19 cases in Maine hospitals fell to 245 on Friday, down 40% last month alone. Of the hospitalized patients, 60 are receiving critical care, compared to 133, the peak of the pandemic on December 19.

The number of positive COVID-19 cases reported in schools from main kindergarten to high school decreased from 12,967 on February 3 to 11,591 on February 10 and 8,834 on February 17 for the third straight week. .. Reported at school in the last 30 days.

This story will be updated.

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