The number of Mainers hospitalized with COVID-19 declined over the weekend.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention recorded 205 patients on Sunday, down from 214 on Saturday.

Of those in the hospital on Sunday, 22 were in critical care units and one on a ventilator.

With the current wave of infections mounting, the nation’s top health officials recommend that people in states such as Maine step up efforts to slow the spread COVID-19 by wearing masks indoors, avoiding crowds and testing before indoor gatherings.

Cumberland and eight other counties in Maine are categorized by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as being at high risk for transmission of the virus. The other counties are: Oxford, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Knox, Hancock, Penobscot and Aroostook.

Although infections are rising, the new strains of the coronavirus are causing less serious illness for most because so many people have some immunity from vaccinations or recent infections. However, those who are older and unvaccinated are at higher risk of serious sickness.

The Maine CDC typically does not report new cases of COVID-19 or additional deaths on Sundays and Mondays.

Since the pandemic began, the state has logged 2,343 deaths, and 259,058 cases. But the number of cases is underreported, since many people who test positive take at-home tests and do not report the findings.

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