Maine is seeing high COVID viral activity levels in wastewater

A summer wave of COVID is seeing high viral activity levels in more than two dozen states, including Maine.

The latest wastewater surveillance data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that Maine’s viral activity is slightly below the national average, but higher than the regional average in the Northeast.

Dr. Puthiery Va, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the uptick is somewhat expected. She said COVID has followed a predictable pattern that includes a summer surge, and travel is a likely factor.

“This is reassuring, is that the degree of impact on how sick people are getting, and are dying, is much, much lower than those earlier surges,” she said. “And I think that’s worth reiterating.”

Va said people with compromised immune systems and those 65 and older should consider vaccination if they haven’t received a dose since last fall. She said the vaccine also reduces the risk of developing long COVID.

This article appears through a media partnership with Maine Public .