Almost 1 in 8 Maine residents now fully vaccinated against COVID-19

State health officials reported 195 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, but no further deaths, as nearly 1 in 8 Maine residents have been fully vaccinated against the virus.

The average daily seven-day cases stood at 167, slightly above the 148 two-week cases, or an incubation period, behind. This time, last month, the average number of daily cases was 234. The cases peaked above 600 a day in mid-January.

Since the pandemic struck Maine nearly a year ago, there have been 46,254 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 and 723 deaths, according to data monitored by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The state added 17 deaths to the total on Tuesday after conducting its last death certificate review to see if COVID-19 was a factor in any deaths not already reported to the CDC.

The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 increased slightly on Wednesday to 75, including 25 in intensive care and nine on a ventilator. Hospitalizations have stabilized over the past three weeks, after falling steadily from a high of more than 200 in mid-January. During the pandemic, 1,583 people from Maine were hospitalized at some point.

Cases and hospitalizations are also stabilizing in many states after several consecutive weeks of sharp declines, although this has not prevented some states from easing restrictions on the pandemic. Maine Governor Janet Mills relaxed last week’s travel requirements for New England residents coming to Maine. At the end of this month, the capacity for internal and external events will increase, and the bars and tasting rooms may open on March 26th.

By the end of Tuesday, 446,226 COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Maine. Of these, 283,688 were the first doses, representing 21 percent of the state’s population, and 162,538, just over 12 percent, were the second doses. Individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one injection, are included in the state’s second dose count.

Approximately 3 out of 4 Maine residents over 70 have already received their first dose and 37 percent are fully vaccinated. Last week, eligibility was open to individuals between the ages of 60 and 69, a group that includes almost 200,000. In addition, teachers, school staff and childcare workers have also become eligible after a directive to the states of the Biden administration. This group has just over 50,000 individuals.

Maine increased its daily vaccinations to more than 10,000 doses this week and improved its position among other states, according to a state-by-state tracker for Bloomberg News. As of Tuesday, Maine was ranked 10th among states as a percentage of residents who were fully vaccinated and 8th as a percentage of the population that received a dose.

These gains came despite the fact that about 20 percent fewer doses of the vaccine were delivered to Maine for use this week. Johnson & Johnson had released its supply a week earlier – 15,000 of those doses came to Maine alone – and have not yet fully replenished it. Maine CDC director Dr. Nirav Shah said on Tuesday that he expects to see modest dose increases arriving in the state in the next two weeks and then further increases in late March and early April.

The Biden government was prepared to announce on Wednesday that the United States is buying another 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, in addition to the 100 million doses the company was contracted to deliver by the end of June.

In an effort to help close the gaps in vaccinations, the Maine Department of Health and Human Services announced on Tuesday a new program to give free rides to vaccination appointments for individuals with transportation problems. Tours are available from 7 am to 4 pm every day, except on Sundays, and can be booked by calling 1-855-608-5172.

This story will be updated.

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