Hospitalized COVID-19 patients are reportedly trending younger at Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick as certain units reach capacity.

As of Friday, the 11-bed intensive care unit, 54-bed general medical surgical unit and 23-bed emergency department were full. There were 22 COVID-19 positive patients in the hospital on Friday, six of whom were in the ICU and four on ventilators. Of the 22 patients, 17 were unvaccinated.

In total, there are 93 beds in Mid Coast Hospital, and according to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chris Bowe, the hospital has received state permission to incorporate an additional 20 beds.

“We’re making plans for where we would do that if we need to,” said Bowe, adding that despite the challenges, at this point the hospital has not had to limit care for those with emergency needs. “This wave is the worst it’s been the whole time.”

The current wave is primarily fueled by the delta variant of COVID-19. As of Sunday, the omicron variant, which was first detected in Botswana in early November, had yet to be found in Maine.

“I don’t know how it could get much worse, you know, delta is very contagious,” said Bowe. “There’s reports that it may be even more infectious and some mention that maybe people don’t get quite as sick with it, and we’ll wait to see. But the most important thing is people being immunized to protect them against it and to protect them against the delta variant today.”

On Friday, Maine reported a single-day record high of 2,148 new cases of COVID-19, along with 375 hospitalizations.

Dr. Patrick Keaney, a pulmonologist who works in the ICU with COVID-19 patients, said that what started as frustration towards resistance to the vaccine has now changed to sadness.

COVID-19 hospitalizations have trended younger, Keaney said, with five individuals hospitalized under the age of 60 earlier this week and at one point an unvaccinated individual under the age of 30 on a ventilator.

“It is hard,” said Keaney. “It’s hard to see people suffer, it’s hard to see people die when it potentially could have been avoided.”

Like other healthcare system nationwide, staffing remains a challenge at Mid Coast Parkview-Health. There are currently 245 open positions in system. Bowe said that hospital is understaffed in multiple areas, such as environmental and food services.

Last week, Gov. Mills activated up to 75 members of the national guard to assist with at Maine healthcare facilities. Those resources, according to Bowe, will benefit Maine Health – the parent organization of Mid Coast Hospital – in Portland through non-clinical roles.

Hospital officials are asking for patience and understanding from the public at this time, Bowe said, and are continuing to encourage vaccination for protection from the virus. As of Friday, Mid Coast Hospital had administered 71,339 COVID-19 vaccines.

“Advice I have for any individual who is wavering or trying to decide what to do, I just really encourage them to talk to their healthcare professional,” said Bowe.

According to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, just over 73% of eligible Maine residents had received a final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Saturday. In Brunswick, it is estimated that 99% of eligible residents are vaccinated.

As of Sunday, 129,997 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in total statewide, resulting in 1,367 deaths. In Cumberland County, 25,616 cases had been reported and 257 deaths.

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