Maine is ending 2020 with at least 24,201 individuals who have contracted COVID-19 and 347 residents whose deaths have been linked to the disease since March.
The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 702 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday and 13 additional deaths, closing out the tumultuous year on an ominous note. The now weeks-long surge in Maine shows little signs of easing, with the final day of 2020 bringing some of the highest new infection and death numbers of the now 10-month-long pandemic. State officials have also expressed concerns about worsening numbers of infections, hospitalizations and deaths coming out of the current holiday season. The seven-day rolling average of new daily cases stood at 427 on Thursday, down from the average of 476 new infections for the week ending December 24. On November 1, by comparison, Maine’s seven-day rolling average was 78 new cases. To date, the Maine CDC has tracked 24,201 total cases of COVID-19 as well as 347 deaths linked to the virus, with more than half of those deaths occurring within the past two months of the 10-month-long pandemic. The vast majority of deaths have also been among Maine residents over age 60, highlighting the significantly higher threat the virus poses to older residents. New hospitalization figures were not yet available on Thursday. As of Wednesday, there were 177 people hospitalized statewide with COVID-19 and 48 people in intensive care, although the state continued to have nearly 100 ICU beds and hundreds of ventilators available. State and federal official also fear another surge nationally in infections, hospitalizations and deaths tied to the current holiday season, similar to the record-setting spikes that occurred following Thanksgiving. Hospitals, pharmacies and emergency medical systems are inoculating thousands of high-risk individuals daily in Maine as part of the first phase of a months-long vaccination campaign.
