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July 22: However, another COVID-19 subvariant is spreading throughout Maine as hospitalizations continue to vary in the most recent spectacle of the virus’ unpredictability.
The latest strain, a subvariant of the omicron variant BA. 5, is now the dominant strain in the country, according to estimates published through the U. S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U. S. Department of Homeland Security was earlier this month.
Although the CDC has stated that BA. 5 appears to cause more serious illness than other variants, it appears to be much more transmissible.
Researchers in South Africa, who saw a backlog of BA. 5-related cases in the spring, found that the virus spread even though about 98% of the population possessed antibodies, either through vaccines, past infections, or both. .
Cases also spread to some European countries earlier this year, although the first waves of omicron only spread across the continent a few months earlier.
The more people who become infected, the more people can end up hospitalized with COVID. These patients could be there for symptoms related to COVID or anything else, but they also tend to be positive for COVID.
Maine hospital executives said large volumes of COVID patients, who want to be away from other patients, regardless of the severity of their illness, can provide demanding logistical situations and strain their systems.
According to the most recent Maine CDC genomic sequencing report, omicron accounted for one hundred percent of all samples collected in June and BA. 5 accounted for approximately 25 percent of all samples.
Hospitalizations across the state have surged in recent weeks: Another 140 people were hospitalized for COVID-19 on Wednesday, up 23 percent from last week and up 12 percent from two weeks ago.
There were an average of 135 patients hospitalized every day of the week that ended Wednesday.
Lewiston’s Maine Central Medical Center had 8 COVID patients on Wednesday, nearly 3 times more than the previous week.
The most recent hospitalization figures were not obtained without delay at St. John. Mary, also in Lewiston.
And omicron subvariants have shown an ability to evade antibodies, the U. S. CDC data. U. S. vaccines continue to show that getting vaccinated is still the best coverage for serious illness or death.
According to lacheck estimates, in May, other people over the age of five who were not vaccinated were twice as likely to test positive for COVID as other people with at least their number one vaccination series, and six times more likely to die.
For other people over the age of 50, those who were not vaccinated were 4 times more likely to die than those who had at least one booster and 29 times more likely to die than those who had at least two boosters.