Maine CDC Reports 587 New Coronavirus Cases, 1 Death on Saturday

Saturday's report from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention included 587 new coronavirus cases and one COVID-related death.

Penobscot County has become the hotbed for the virus with 187 new infections and nine additional hospitalizations reported Saturday. Of the estimated 5840 active cases in Maine, over 20% are in Penobscot County.

Aroostook County has 15 new cases, bringing the estimated active caseload in the County to 354. For the week, Aroostook County recorded 156 new cases and three additional COVID-19 deaths. That compares to 197 new cases and five deaths in the County reported the previous week.

Statewide, the vaccination rate has topped 73% of the eligible population, but the rate varies from county to county. In Aroostook County, 67% of people over the age of 12 are fully vaccinated, compared to nearly 86% in Cumberland County, the state's population center.

Hospitals in Maine continue to treat mostly unvaccinated patients who have been stricken with the stronger delta variant. Currently, there are 201 people in the hospital with COVID-19 in the state.  Of those patients, 76 are in intensive care units and 34 are on ventilators.

New Brunswick Update

New Brunswick Public Health on Friday reported 57 new coronavirus cases, including 16 in the Fredericton region and nine in the Edmundston region. The active case count in the province has climbed to 370, over three times what it was a month ago. Seventeen people are in hospital with COVID-19 in the province and 10 are being treated in ICU.

Public Health is strongly encouraging all New Brunswickers to wear masks in indoor public spaces, regardless of their vaccination status.