Maine records 1423 new cases of COVID-19 in first report since Dec. 24 – Press Herald

Maine is reporting 1,423 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday the first new report of cases since Dec. 24 and 17 additional deaths.

Tuesdays case counts are the first since Dec. 24 as state offices were closed on Friday for the Christmas holiday, and the state does not report case counts over the weekend. Hospitalizations on Tuesday stayed the same as Monday, at 330 statewide, down from a peak of 387 on Dec. 21.

While 1,423 cases over four days would be far below recent state averages, the CDC has not been able to keep up with a flood of positive tests in recent weeks and its updates no longer reflect all new infections. Because of the backlog, many of the cases reported Tuesday were submitted to the state in mid-December and had to be reviewed by CDC staff to eliminate duplicates.

Public health experts say to expect case counts to rise with the arrival of the more contagious omicron variant, which made up 10 percent of samples that were sequenced at Jackson Laboratories in Maine from Dec. 12-18, up from 1 percent from the previous week.

Because omicron in other places has caused exponential growth, public health experts say to expect the same type of growth in Maine. Preliminary research is indicating that omicron causes less severe disease on average than earlier variants, although if theres a flood of cases all at once it could still further strain hospitals.

The rate of omicron transmission in Maine is faster than health officials had expected based on the spread elsewhere. Nationally, the omicron variant is dominant, making up 58 percent of cases as of Dec. 25, the latest federal data available. The previous weeks estimate of 72 percent of all U.S. cases has been revised downward to 22 percent.

Maine does seem to be going slightly faster at the initial rate, so I would say its either the dominant variant now or will be between now and the 30th, said Ryan Tewhey, who leads a team of researchers at The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor that monitors coronavirus strains for the state, on Monday.

Maine health officialshave predicted the spread of omicronand urged people to continue to exercise COVID-19 precautions, including vaccinations, wearing masks indoors and avoiding large gatherings.

We have to assume it is growing and will probably grow quite exponentially, as it has everywhere else, said Dr. Dora Anne Mills, chief health improvement officer for MaineHealth, on Monday.

But hospitalization reports from other countries deeper into the omicron wave hold potentially good news.

Report from UK on COVID hospitalizations: admissions are well below what was seen in prior waves, and on proportional basis, are significantly less relative to reported cases, said Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former FDA commissioner, in a tweet on Tuesday. Those people being admitted are also less severe, with fewer patients requiring oxygen or critical care.

Also, the Mills administration on Monday announced its support of new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations that reduced isolation restrictions for Americans who catch the coronavirus from 10 to five days, and similarly shortened the time that close contacts need to quarantine.

I welcome this change in guidance, Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement. Protecting the health of Maine people while minimizing disruption to their lives is paramount. With these updated recommendations, more Maine people will now be able to return to their lives safely and more quickly, and that can help us keep our economic recovery moving forward, keep our kids in schools, and be with our loved ones during this important time of year.

Since the pandemic began, Maine has reported 143,213 cases of COVID-19, and 1,492 deaths.

The seven-day average of daily new cases stood at 752 on Tuesday, compared to 939 a week ago and 399 a month ago. Hospitalizations on Tuesday stood at 330, the same as Mondays totals. There were 11o people in intensive care with COVID-19 on Tuesday, and 56 on a ventilator.

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Maine records 1423 new cases of COVID-19 in first report since Dec. 24 - Press Herald