LEWISTON — As the weather gets colder and people gather to celebrate the holidays, respiratory illnesses continue to spread as evidenced at two Lewiston hospitals.
Central Maine Medical Center is seeing COVID-19 hospitalizations in the double digits for most of this past week and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center is seeing influenza hospitalizations.
As of Dec. 26, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported nearly 100 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 around the state the week before. Most were age 60 or older and five died during that same reporting period, according to Maine CDC Director Puthiery Va.
Though Va cannot speak specifically as to why COVID-19 is more prevalent now, fewer people have the most current COVID-19 vaccine, which means immunity levels are low, she said. The JN.1 subvariant is very transmissible and people have been gathering for the holidays, giving more opportunities for transmission.
Hospitalizations and deaths are not as high as the early years of the pandemic, but people still need to take advantage of tools available to them to protect the most vulnerable against the virus, she said. That includes getting vaccinations and wearing masks. Older individuals, pregnant women, infants and those with preexisting health conditions are at an increased risk of a serious COVID-19 infection.
Weekly COVID-19 hospitalizations statewide have steadily increased since the fall, with small fluctuations downward during some weeks, according to data on the Maine CDC website. During the week of Dec. 17, 93 people were hospitalized statewide. The week before, 96 were people hospitalized for COVID-19 statewide.
Weekly COVID-19 hospitalization totals this month, which have remained in the 80s and 90s, are not quite as high as a year ago, which exceeded 100, according to information on the Maine CDC website.
Central Maine Medical Center had 12 people hospitalized with respiratory infections Wednesday and 10 on Thursday, most of them with COVID-19, Central Maine Healthcare Chief Operating Officer John Alexander said. Most patients hospitalized for COVID-19 at CMMC have other complications associated with the infection or they have preexisting conditions.
Va has also noticed an uptick in influenza, but those infections tend not to lead to hospitalizations and deaths at rates as high as COVID-19 infections, she said. The typical flu season lasts from October to May, so she expects that influenza rates will continue to increase.
The prevalence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus, or RSV, has also increased, but she said she cannot predict when that virus will peak. However, all three viruses are active now and sometimes people can be infected with more than one at a time.
Statewide influenza hospitalizations reached a 10-week peak the week of Dec. 10, with 19 hospitalizations reported, according to information on the Maine CDC website. Statewide influenza hospitalizations for the following week went down by nearly 50% to 10. The latest figures show a total of 73 hospitalizations this season statewide.
While COVID-19 continues to be prevalent year round, St. Mary’s medical center has experienced an increase in hospitalizations over the past couple of weeks due to influenza and there is no indications that hospitalizations are subsiding soon, Chief Medical Officer Doug Smith said.
St. Mary’s doctors in the hospital system’s practices, urgent care and emergency room have seen many patients with influenza, RSV and COVID-19, he said. Some people have had to visit Urgent Care or the Emergency Room because they cannot immediately see their primary care provider, but the hospital tries to meet those needs.
More than half of patients currently hospitalized for reasons other than mental health emergencies have a respiratory virus and about half of those individuals have influenza, according to Smith.
Respiratory illnesses seem to be more of an issue at St. Mary’s this year compared to last year, he said. People do not seem to be taking as many precautions when they are feeling ill, compared to the past two years, and it could be a contributing factor to the increase the hospital is seeing, he said.
Respiratory viruses are spread through close contact, and with people gathering for the holidays it is important they take precautions, such as wearing a mask around other people if they are not feeling well, Alexander said. Though there have been no recent deaths at CMMC, COVID-19 is still present in the community and people are still dying from the virus nationally.
Vaccinations against respiratory viruses is another way to prevent serious illnesses, particularly for COVID-19, Va said. COVID-19 vaccination rates are lower now compared to previous years, with only 29% of adults 18 and older having received the latest dose of the vaccine, according to Va. Those living in nursing homes or long-term care facilities are also at a higher risk and should get vaccinated.
Smith understands that people are weighing the need for personal family connections around the holidays and the need to stay safe while ill, but he encourages people to take necessary precautions so they don’t infect others or get infected.
“I think we all recognize we have to live and so we all enjoy family gatherings and so forth and by no means am I trying to be the Grinch or Scrooge and say you can’t get together,” he said. “… and if you’re just not feeling well then do what you can to protect yourself and those around you, I think goes a long way so we can be around each other and be together.”
Va encourages people to wear masks, practice social distancing, consider how to increase air flow in rooms where people are gathering, test before and after gathering, wash hands frequently and get vaccinated to prevent spreading illnesses. If someone tests positive for COVID-19, they should consult their doctor for treatment.
For more information on where to get COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatments visit maine.gov/covid19/.
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