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Maine's Downward Coronavirus Trend Continues Sunday, With 116 New Infections And 1 Death

Early-rising visitors to Acadia National Park await the sunrise on the summit of Cadillac Mountain, Sunday, May 16, 2021, near Bar Harbor, Maine. Gov. Janet Mills is is eliminating most outdoor distancing requirements imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic as the tourism season begins to kick into gear. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Robert F. Bukaty
/
AP
Early-rising visitors to Acadia National Park await the sunrise on the summit of Cadillac Mountain, Sunday, May 16, 2021, near Bar Harbor, Maine. Gov. Janet Mills is is eliminating most outdoor distancing requirements imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic as the tourism season begins to kick into gear. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

The reported number of new coronavirus infections in Maine continued a downward trend through the weekend.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 159 new cases on Saturday and 116 on Sunday, bringing the pandemic total to 66,979.

One new death was reported on each day, including a man in his 60s from Cumberland County and a woman 80 or older from Lincoln County. That brought the pandemic's death toll in Maine to 820.

And 119 Mainers were hospitalized with the virus as of Saturday morning, including 41 in critical care and 19 on a ventilator.

But the state's seven-day average of new infections has dropped significantly in the last month, from a recent peak of 475 in mid-April to 181 now.

That's coincided with more Mainers getting vaccinated and warmer weather descending on the state.

Beginning Monday, fully vaccinated people can enter many establishments in Maine without masks, under U.S. CDC guidelines. The state is scheduled to lift social distancing requirements in public at that time as well.