coronavirus in maine

The full approval of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine means it’s time for Maine’s remaining unvaccinated people to get their shots, the governor said. Maine Gov. Janet Mills said in a statement late Monday that getting vaccinated is especially important because of the rise of the delta variant in the state and elsewhere. Mills, a Democrat, said there is “no time...

Maine health officials have reported that 95% of state residents who are in their 70s have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. Maine is one of the oldest states in the country, and it also has one of the highest rates of COVID-19 vaccination. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday that 95% of the more than…

Maine is going to support free coronavirus vaccine clinics in schools and promote education about vaccines as part of a push to protect schools from the virus. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Maine Department of Education said Wednesday they’re working on the effort in the wake of new guidance from the federal government. The U.S....

An attorney who declined to be vaccinated for COVID-19 had to wear a mask during a trial this week after losing an appeal to the state supreme court. Darrick X. Banda, who likened the mask to “a dunce cap,” said the timing of new court rules this month didn’t give him time to be vaccinated, even if he’d wanted...

Maine’s emergency order about the coronavirus pandemic is entering its final days. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills declared the “state of civil emergency” in the early days of the pandemic. She has said the order will end on Wednesday. The order has allowed Mills to use state resources to try to control the spread of the virus in Maine. Republicans...

Masks will still be required indoors within the state.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday lifted the state’s requirement that people wear face coverings outside, effective immediately, after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance on masks. In a statement, the Maine Center for Disease Control said masks are no longer required in public, but recommended that people continue to wear them “in outdoor settings where...

Approximately 165,000 additional Maine residents in the 50-59 age range became eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday.

Maine expanded eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine to everyone age 50 and older on Tuesday. The state is using age-based tiers to apportion the limited number of coronavirus vaccines it has access to. Everyone age 16 and older will come eligible on April 19. The office of Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said more than 580,000 doses of coronavirus vaccines…

Maine is adopting an “age-based approach” to COVID-19 vaccine eligibility that will allow residents 60 years and older to make appointments starting next week, Gov. Janet Mills announced Friday. According to Mills, the new strategy prioritizes older people who are more likely to get seriously ill or die from COVID-19. As part of the move, Maine will expand eligibility to…

Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday that she will end the 9 p.m. early closing time for businesses effective Monday, Feb. 1 due to a decline in the state’s COVID-19 positivity rate. Beginning Monday, businesses that had been subject to the requirement can resume evening operating hours, as long as they follow the state’s remaining public health and safety...

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins says the Biden administration’s coronavirus relief package needs to be refined before she can sign on to it. Collins and Sen. Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, led a conference call for lawmakers with National Economics Director Brian Deese. Collins said late Sunday that she has concerns about the $1.9 trillion plan. “While I support…

Maine’s health care providers have started scheduling COVID-19 vaccines for those 70 and older, despite a short supply of doses. Gov. Janet Mills’ office has published a list online showing where people in that category can schedule an appointment. MaineHealth was flooded with more than 18,000 calls Monday, the first day people could request an appointment, John Porter, spokesperson for…

Democratic Gov. Janet Mills authorized the payment, which differs from financial relief Americans are set to receive in the new federal coronavirus relief package. The Maine Department of Labor distributed the state payments to about 40,000 people on Monday. The state used $25.2 million in federal coronavirus aid to make the payments. Mills has said the payments differ from unemployment…

A day after Maine hospitals began providing the first Pfizer vaccines to health care workers, the state topped 500 new daily COVID-19 infections for the first time during the pandemic on Wednesday.

Maine topped 500 new daily COVID-19 infections for the first time during the pandemic on Wednesday, a day after hospitals began providing the first Pfizer vaccines to health care workers. Major hospital groups began receiving and administering the vaccines to at least 475 people in the state earlier this week. The first Mainer to receive the vaccine on Tuesday was…

A wave of coronavirus cases that hit Maine after a wedding is a case study in why it’s important to avoid gathering amid the pandemic, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report about the deadly outbreak. The outbreak, based around an August wedding and reception in the Millinocket area, killed at least seven people...

A referee who was on the ice for eight games over two days could’ve exposed hundreds of youth hockey players to the coronavirus in Maine and New Hampshire, officials said Thursday. The state is still getting a handle on the situation, but as many as 400 people could’ve been exposed to the virus, said Dr. Nirav Shah, director of...

Maine hotels, restaurants and bars will lose $1 billion in direct taxable revenue in 2020 compared to last year because of the pandemic, an industry report says. The University of Maine study commissioned by the industry group HospitalityMaine finds that hospitality industry is expected to contribute roughly $3 billion in direct taxable revenue to the Maine economy, down from $4…

The median age of people who contract the coronavirus in the state of Maine is trending downward. The median age was 51.3 from March through the end of May, and it dipped to 41.4 for the months of June through September, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Nirav Shah said Thursday. He said one of the reasons for…