The Maine Center for Disease Control says COVID hospitalizations in Maine continue to remain higher than they were during the summer. There are 60 COVID patients in the hospital as of Monday.
Along with RSV and the flu, COVID is one of three respiratory viruses that typically peak during the winter. Maine CDC director Dr. Puthiery Va encourages anyone who has been exposed to any virus to consider wearing a mask when in confined spaces with large groups of people.
"So if I were to go into the airport, I will mask up because I want to protect everyone else," she says. "If I were to go into a meeting, I would mask up. And so my role in masking up is because I want to protect others."
Va also recommends getting both the updated COVID and flu vaccines at the same time. An RSV vaccine is also available for people 60 and older.
