The number of patients hospitalized statewide with the coronavirus increased slightly on Sunday but continued to be low compared to the January omicron surge.

A total of 124 people with COVID-19 were in Maine hospitals, two more than on Saturday, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Of those hospitalized on Sunday, 28 were in critical care and seven on ventilators. That is five more people in critical care units on Sunday than Saturday, and one more person was on a ventilator.

One month ago there were 291 patients hospitalized with the virus, and of those 67 were in critical care and 30 on ventilators. The peak was on Jan. 13, when there were 436 people hospitalized statewide with COVID-19.

Health experts say the best way to prevent becoming seriously ill or hospitalized with COVID-19 is getting vaccinated and boosted, and that Maine’s trend is positive.

Of the state’s 1.34 million population, 991,105 people are fully vaccinated, which means two shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or one of the J & J vaccine, according to the Maine CDC’s statistics. The number of people fully vaccinated as of Saturday jumped by 143 people. The state reported that 585,985 people have received boosters.

Of Mainers ages 5-11, 38,204 have been fully vaccinated, the state reported Saturday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Protection and Control reports that adults who were not vaccinated were six times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 than those who were vaccinated. Children ages 5-11 who were not vaccinated were three times more likely to be hospitalized than those who were. The CDC says one big myth is that natural immunity from getting sick with COVID-19 is better than vaccination, when in fact getting vaccinated is a safer and more dependable way to build immunity than getting sick with the virus.

Cumberland County has the highest percentage of Maine residents who are fully vaccinated – 84.37 percent – state statistics show. Other counties and their percentage of  the population fully vaccinated include Knox, 79.07 percent; Kennebec, 67.84 percent; and Aroostook, 67.77 percent. Somerset County has the lowest percentage of fully vaccinated residents at 60.33 percent, the state reported Saturday.

The state does not typically report new case numbers and deaths on Sunday and Monday. Since the pandemic began two years ago, Maine has logged 232,293 cases and 2,145 deaths.

With the coronavirus picture improving in Maine, most of the state’s 16 counties are now considered at low risk for COVID-19 transmission and hospital burden, according to updated federal data.

Ten of Maine’s 16 counties are now in the “green” category, which means the CDC no longer recommends the wearing of masks in indoor public places except for those at high risk of serious illness.

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