Maine’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have fallen to their lowest level in three months.
It’s the continuation of a trend that has officials hopeful that Maine may finally be shaking loose from the omicron surge that’s gripped the state since December.
There are 249 Mainers infected with the virus in hospitalizations across the state as of Wednesday morning, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s down from 260 the day before and from the pandemic high of 436 set on Jan. 13.
It’s also the lowest since Nov. 14, when 249 Mainers were hospitalized. Overall, hospitalizations have fallen 43 percent in the past month, state data show.
The number of Mainers in critical care fell slightly to 63, while those on ventilators ticked up to 29 since Tuesday.
With tens of thousands of backlogged positive cases driving up Maine’s daily count, the falling hospitalization numbers, though much higher than those seen last summer, are seen as an indicator that COVID-19 may be loosening its grip on the state.
That’s not the only indicator that the virus’ spread is coming under control. The daily average for positive COVID-19 tests has trended down in recent weeks, while wastewater monitoring also suggests that the virus’ spread is declining across the state.