-
The system says it will strongly encourage vaccination and boosters, but no longer make them a requirement for in-person students.
-
COVID-19 hospitalizations in Maine have been ticking up, as have the number of patients in critical care.
-
The system announced on Wednesday that its board of trustees unanimously voted to remove a vaccination mandate, and instead will "strongly encourage" students to get the vaccine.
-
Vaccination rates for the newest bivalent booster among nursing home staff in Maine are lagging behind the residents they care for and the population at large, according to federal data, as the state endures its third pandemic winter.
-
The CDC says that between Dec. 18 and Dec. 24 more than half of all COVID cases in New England were caused by the XBB variant.
-
The two largest hospital systems in Maine are grappling with capacity issues as several viruses are circulating in communities.
-
Maine's Department of Health and Human Services announced Monday it's expanding access to COVID-19 tests. Residents can order a free pack of five COVID tests every month through the website AccessCovidTests.org.
-
The state CDC reports twenty-six long-term care facilities now have open outbreaks of the disease, which it classifies as five or more cases detected over two weeks. The Morning Sentinel reported that one of them is Woodlands Senior Living in Waterville.
-
New, updated COVID booster shots that target the omicron variant are now available in Maine.
-
After the state's most recent spike in COVID hospitalizations last spring, they fluctuated between 130 and 150 throughout the summer, but have trended upward in August.