Mainers under the age of 30, driving the sudden increase in new COVID-19 cases

People under 30 are responsible for an increasing share of new COVID-19 cases in Maine, as a new outbreak is increasing infections.

The increase comes at a time when vaccines for the age group over 50 are expanding rapidly, and with eligibility for all residents aged 16 and over starting on Wednesday.

At the end of March, people under 30 accounted for 34.6 percent of all COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Maine during the past 13 months. This represents a slight increase from 33.8% two weeks ago and is an increase of about 3% in relation to the share that the crowd under 30 represented at the beginning of the year.

The distribution of cases by age has changed dramatically in one year. As of March 31, 2020, people under the age of 30 accounted for only 11.7% of all cases in Maine, while those aged 60 and over accounted for 44.2%.

Mainers in their 20s now account for 18.2 percent of all positive cases since the pandemic began. This is the highest percentage of positive cases among all age groups. However, the most dramatic increase in the number of cases in the first three months of 2021 occurred among those under the age of 20.

As of January 1, there were 3,515 cases among children under the age of 20. As of March 31, that number had increased to 8,392 cases. This is a 139% increase. The next biggest jump, 104 percent, was among Maine residents in their 20s, followed closely by individuals in their 40s.

The number of cases among residents aged 70 and 80 was the least increased – by 78 and 63 percent, respectively – during the first three months of the year, reflecting the state’s efforts to vaccinate these two age groups during that period. Although Mainers aged 70 and over are responsible for about 11 percent of COVID-19 cases in the state to date, they account for 85 percent of all deaths.

The number of cases is increasing in Maine – and the average age of infected individuals is increasingly younger – despite a vaccination campaign that reached about a third of the state’s residents.

On Friday, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 402 additional cases of COVID-19, marking the first time since February 2 that the number of daily cases has exceeded 400. And it was the 11th time in 16 days that the number of cases the CDC reported 200 crested.

Most of the 402 new cases date from Sunday, but have been added to Friday’s total while Maine’s CDC epidemiologists work on an accumulation of positive test results reported to the agency. Maine CDC spokesman Robert Long said 40 out of 402 new positive cases were reported on Thursday. But he said the number of cases on that day and in previous days could also increase as epidemiologists review the reports to confirm that they are new cases and not repeated positive results from people who have already been diagnosed with COVID-19.

“We are back in a situation where a sustained increase in the number of positive test results means that it takes between 24 and 48 hours to review the results received, and not the 24 hours or less that were the norm, except during the peak of the late November to early January, ”said Long.

With 402 new infections, Maine’s seven-day continuous average of new cases jumped to 253, from 198 the previous week and an average of 137 daily cases in the week ending February 20. The state’s peak, seven-day average of 624 occurred on January 15.

The Maine CDC also reported an additional death on Friday afternoon, identified as a York County man over 80.

Public health officials in Maine and across the country raised concerns about the potential for another increase in COVID-19 cases, threatening progress in controlling the deadly disease with vaccinations. Maine set a new record for injections administered on Thursday – 21,829 injections – for the second day in a row, with that rate likely to increase next week as the state expands eligibility for everyone over 16.

Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, noted that the state’s positive test rate is also increasing in another potential sign that the virus is spreading more quickly. Although the combined daily positivity rate for molecular-based and antigen tests has varied from a maximum of 4.9 percent to a minimum of 1.8 in the past two weeks, the line is trending upwards. Friday’s combined positive rate was 3.5 percent.

“Broader eligibility will arrive next week,” Shah said in a tweet. “Please give your chance. We talked a lot about the light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines are our vehicle to get out of this tunnel. “

To date, there have been 744 COVID-19-related deaths in the state and Maine’s CDC has tracked a total of 51,189 confirmed or probable cases of viral disease since March 2020.

Maine’s vaccination campaign is gaining momentum, however, and is expected to accelerate next week thanks to potentially large increases in federal government dose shipments.

On Friday morning, 435,700 individuals – or 32.4 percent of Maine residents – received at least one dose of the vaccine, while the second or last injection was administered to 277,098 individuals, representing 20.6 percent of the population.

On Thursday, Governor Janet Mills expanded Maine’s eligibility window to all residents of the state aged 16 and over starting on Wednesday. The decision means that about 470,000 inhabitants in the region will be eligible to receive an injection 12 days earlier than planned, although Mills urged residents to be patient with healthcare providers while trying to book appointments.

York, Androscoggin and Cumberland counties continue to have the highest infection rates per capita in the state, with the York rate at 524 cases for every 10,000 residents. Waldo County has the lowest rate of cases with 181 infections confirmed or likely per 10,000 residents.

However, data from the Maine CDC shows that more rural counties experienced the largest increases in percentage cases during the month of March.

The total number of cases in Piscataquis County, which consistently has one of the lowest infection rates, increased 34% between March 1 and 31, while Knox and Waldo counties recorded increases of 24 and 20%, respectively. Kennebec, Penobscot and Hancock counties also experienced increases of more than 15 percent in March.

Sporadic outbreaks remain a problem on some university campuses in Maine and at higher education institutions across the country.

Bates College imposed a blockade on all of its nearly 1,800 students on Thursday, when the number of cases increased to 34, making it the worst outbreak to hit the Lewiston school during the pandemic. The University of Maine System also reported 65 known cases on all campuses in the system on Friday, down from a record 95 cases last week.

Data from the Maine Department of Education, in turn, indicate that cases are increasing in schools in Maine, although the coronavirus remains less prevalent among students and school staff than in the general population of the state.

There were 724 confirmed or probable cases among students and school officials in the 30 days ended on March 31, compared to 481 cases in the 30-day period ended on March 10, according to weekly reports released by the secretariat. Meanwhile, the case rate between students and school staff was 30 cases per 10,000 individuals, up from 22 cases per 10,000 several weeks earlier, but still lower than the state rate of 41 per 10,000 residents.

Unlike other states, many schools in Maine have remained open – often with hybrid models – during parts of the yearlong pandemic. All 16 Maine counties are currently designated “green” in the state’s color-coded reopening model, meaning that schools in those counties can consider face-to-face education as long as they can meet health and safety guidelines.

Many schools in Maine are expanding the number of days of face-to-face instruction, with some returning to five days a week.

Approximately 200 doctors, nurses, social workers and other health care providers have signed open letters to Governor Janet Mills, Shah and Commissioners from the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services supporting plans “for the full and safe reopening of Schools of Maine without further ado ”.

The doctors’ letter said the pandemic “had a devastating impact on children, including a significant increase in suicide attempts and an increase in disturbing behavioral disorders due to social isolation and disruption of established routines.” Failure to return to full face-to-face education “in a timely manner” can lead to damages that outweigh the benefits of minimizing the risks of spreading COVID in schools.

“Science and a year of experience at a global, national and state level have shown that schools with multiple mitigation strategies in place are simply not significant motivators for community transmission,” says the letter, a copy of which was released Friday by the Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, a registered nurse who signed a joint letter endorsing the feelings expressed by doctors. “Maine schools are safe places for educators to work and for children to thrive.”

Hospitalizations remain relatively stable in Maine, with 75 people hospitalized across the state on Friday morning and 25 of them in intensive care beds. The rate of new COVID-19 deaths in Maine has dropped significantly, however, as vaccinations have increased among individuals aged 70 and over. As of Friday, 81.5 percent of the approximately 191,000 individuals in this age group have received at least the first dose of the vaccine and 74.3 percent have received all necessary doses.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the seven-day average of new cases nationwide continues to rise and exceeded 62,000 on Friday. Hospitalizations are also increasing, said Walensky, even as the country launched an unprecedented vaccination campaign.

“These data remain clear: despite the good news about vaccination, we still cannot relax prevention strategies,” said Walensky during a meeting with the White House Response Team COVID-19 on Friday. “We must continue the practices of mitigation strategies that we know work, such as wearing a mask and physical distance, to stop the spread of COVID-19 and see an end to this pandemic. This is a crucial moment for our country. “

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