Maine’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have risen back above 100 for the first time since mid-March.
That reversal comes after hospitalizations and cases across the state have largely arrested their falls and amid heightened concerns that another virus surge could be looming as the “stealth omicron” variant becomes the predominant strain across the country.
There are now 104 Mainers infected with the virus in hospitals across the state as of Monday morning, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 93 the day before but down from the pandemic high of 436, set on Jan. 13.
That’s a 12 percent increase since Sunday, and the first time hospitalizations rose above 100 since March 18, when there were 107 Mainers hospitalized with the virus, state data show. Hospitalizations, though, are down 76 percent from that pandemic high.
Of those, 28 Mainers are in critical care and another five are on ventilators. The number of Mainers in critical care is up from 19 while those on ventilators remain unchanged.