State health officials reported 313 additional cases of COVID-19 in Maine on Monday, as well as six additional deaths among individuals with the disease.
To date, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked 29,611 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 since the coronavirus appeared in Maine in March. The 313 cases reported on Monday are less than the 7-day average of 522 cases, although the state health lab often receives fewer tests for processing or results from other labs over the weekend.
With the six additional deaths reported on Monday, the death toll in Maine in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic is 438.
A woman walks through Monument Square in Portland on Friday. Derek Davis / Team photographer Buy this photo
Meanwhile, thousands of additional people are being vaccinated with COVID-19 daily, although the pace of vaccinations – in Maine and across the country – has been slower than anticipated. New figures have not yet been released Monday morning by the Maine CDC, but as of Sunday 54,557 vaccines have been administered in Maine. This includes 48,937 initial doses of the two-dose regimen, as well as 5,620 doses of seconds.
Vaccination averages around 12,000 a week in Maine, well below the 50,000 weekly vaccinations that state health officials’ goal to turn the tide against the virus. Vaccine shipments from the federal government have been slower than anticipated, although Maine is consistently ranked among the states with the highest vaccination rates in the first weeks of vaccine launch.
Maine’s vaccination plan is currently focused on healthcare professionals, along with residents and employees of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. The next phase of vaccination, which is due to start in February, will target Mainers aged 75 and over and essential frontline workers such as police, teachers, grocery stores, postmen, daycare centers and people involved in agricultural / food production.
This story will be updated.
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