Maine CDC Updates Wednesday Report to 836 New Cases, 29 Deaths

The Maine Center for Disease Control on Wednesday reported 29 COVID-19 deaths and 836 new coronavirus cases following an earlier report that included only partial data for the day.

Officials said an IT system upgrade late Tuesday night led to an incomplete count reported Wednesday morning.  Aroostook County has 36 new infections and four additional deaths. Active cases in Aroostook County are now estimated to be around 375.

COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maine dropped to 166 on Wednesday after peaking at 235 on Sept. 25. Of those patients,  51 are in critical care and 21 are on ventilators.

Maine has passed a major milestone in its vaccination effort as one million Mainers have now received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Gov. Janet Mills said she applauds those “who have rolled up their sleeves to turn the tide on this pandemic.”

According to the state's vaccination dashboard, 74.4% of eligible Mainers -12 and older- have received their final dose of a vaccine  The vaccination rate for Maine's total population is 65.5%.  The rates vary greatly from county to county.

New Brunswick Update

New Brunswick is implementing circuit breaker measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. The new restrictions take effect Friday at 6 p.m. and will continue for at least 14 days in regions that are the highest risk. That includes the upper Saint John River Valley from Florenceville-Bristol northward and all of Zone 4 (the Edmundston/Grand Falls/Saint Quentin region).

In the designated "circuit breaker" areas of the province, indoor and outdoor gatherings are not allowed beyond a single household, except in public places where proof of vaccination is required. Travel is prohibited to and from circuit breaker areas, except for work, healthcare services, post-secondary education or childcare purposes.

New Brunswick Public Health reported one COVID-related death and 90 new infections on Tuesday.The province currently has 782 active cases, with 50 people in the hospital, 23 of which are in the ICU.