(Data: Sunday Oct 17th – Saturday Oct 23th 2021, Maine DHHS)

October 23, 2021 7-day metrics

Cases: 3,192     Total cases: 100,967
% Positivity: 5-7.9%

Deaths: 26       Total deaths: 1122

% Eligible Population Fully Vaccinated: 71.22%
Total Hospitalizations: 201 (168 last week)

ICU: 71 (60 last week)             ICU beds available: 50 of 339

On a ventilator: 34 (29 last week)

Covid-19 cases continue to climb in Maine, and in the past two weeks there has been more than a 20% increase in hospitalizations. At this time, the cumulative hospitalization rate for all adults in the US is roughly twelve times higher in unvaccinated individuals than those who are vaccinated. This means that individuals who are vaccinated against Covid-19 remain much better-protected from hospitalization than the unvaccinated.

Across Maine, 71.22% of adults are fully vaccinated. Maine has been administering 3900 doses of Covid-19 vaccinations per day on average over a two-week period. Of those doses, 588 on average per day account for first shots, while final shots average 1180 per day. Booster shots are administered on average totaling 2140 shots per day, accounting for about 55% of all vaccines in the past two weeks.

Maine’s EMS staff are 97% fully vaccinated, according to Maine Department of Public Safety. Staff across the Northern Light Health system are also 97% fully vaccinated, while Maine Health reported on October 12th that 97% of its staff were fully vaccinated. Maine Health expects to provide updated data early next month. The number of school staff vaccinated has also been updated. Maine DHHS reported that 79.7% of school staff are fully vaccinated, which is an increase from 75.6% in September.

To increase vaccinations throughout the school system, Maine DHHS is prepared to begin administering vaccines immediately as soon as the Pfizer vaccine is authorized by the US CDC for children ages 5 to 11 – authorization is expected on November 2. The vaccine will be available through vaccine clinics in schools, healthcare providers, health care clinics, hospitals, and retail pharmacies.

The Covid-19 vaccines developed for children ages 5 to 11 can be ordered in smaller batches than those for older people, and do not require ultra-cold storage, and can be kept  in standard refrigeration for up to ten weeks.

The FDA has authorized Moderna and Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 boosters. They have also authorized the mixing and matching of different vaccines. According to the FDA’s announcement on their website, the emergency use authorizations for Covid-19 vaccines have been amended to allow for the use of a single booster dose as follows:

  • The use of a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine that may be administered at least 6 months after completion of the primary series to individuals:
    • 65 years of age and older
    • 18 through 64 years of age at high risk of severe COVID-19
    • 18 through 64 years of age with frequent institutional or occupational exposure to SARS-CoV-2
  • The use of a single booster dose of the Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered at least 2 months after completion of the single-dose primary regimen to individuals 18 years of age and older.
  • The use of each of the available COVID-19 vaccines as a heterologous (or “mix and match”) booster dose in eligible individuals following completion of primary vaccination with a different available COVID-19 vaccine.