THE DAILY MONITOR
Reporting in the Public Interest
NAVIGATING PAYWALLS: Several stories in each issue of The Daily Monitor will come from Maine news organizations that require a subscription to access their content. To avoid paywalls, we encourage readers to subscribe to Maine's daily news products: the Portland Press Herald, the Bangor Daily News, the Central Maine Newspapers, the Times Record and the Lewiston Sun Journal.
CORONAVIRUS IN MAINE
VACCINATION UPDATE
98,371 Cumulative vaccinations in Maine (An increase of 6,363 from Thursday)
78,395 First doses administered in Maine (An increase of 3,635 from Thursday)
19,876 Second doses administered in Maine (An increase of 2,628 from Thursday)
COVID-19 DASHBOARD
36,274 Total cases (An increase of 636 from Thursday)
540 Deaths (An Increase of 4 from Thursday)
636 New daily cases (A decrease of 12 from Thursday)
7,888* Diagnosed cases in the past 14 days (A decrease of 125 from Thursday)
190 Currently in hospital (As of Wednesday)

*This metric represents an estimation of active COVID-19 case in Maine. The Maine CDC is no longer reporting on active cases because it has stopped tracking recoveries for some patients.
TODAY'S HEADLINES
Another four Mainers have died as health officials on Friday reported 636 more coronavirus cases.

The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 7,888. This is an estimation of the current number of active cases in the state, as the Maine CDC is no longer tracking recoveries for all patients. That’s down from 8,013 on Thursday.

Three Cumberland county residents and one Penobscot county resident died, bringing the statewide death toll to 540.

Maine’s seven-day average for new coronavirus cases is 501.4, down from 622.4 a day ago, down from 625.6 a week ago and up from 423.1 a month ago. READ MORE
The state will receive nearly 1,000 fewer COVID-19 vaccine doses next week, compared to this week’s shipment, according to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention put in its seventh order for COVID-19 vaccines on Thursday.

The state said next week’s shipment will consist of 8,775 doses from Pfizer and 8,800 doses from Moderna. That is 975 fewer doses than Maine received in its sixth shipment of vaccine.

Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah called the news “disappointing” as the state tries to ramp up vaccination efforts for Mainers 70 and older. READ MORE
Top Democrats in the Maine Legislature on Thursday supported tightening a policy to bar the use of partial face shields in official space after a committee clerk quit citing coronavirus fears.

The review of coronavirus protocols came after a group of Republicans in the House of Representatives filmed themselves not wearing masks in the State House, an issue their leader said stemmed from a misunderstanding of rules. A reminder of the policies sent to lawmakers last week led to lawmakers venting over a reply-all thread about not being visibly at work.

That frustration spilled over into a subcommittee meeting of the panel of leaders that oversee the two chambers, on Thursday. Three Democrats indicated support for a proposal that would require lawmakers to wear coverings of the nose and mouth in legislative spaces where they are not alone. The full 10-person Legislative Council will consider it next week. READ MORE
Some Bangor parents were frustrated by the abrupt shift to remote instruction this week after the school department’s bus contractor recorded up to seven COVID-19 cases, but they said the school department ultimately made the right call for students’ safety.

Five bus drivers and staff who assist them had tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, with two more bus employees showing symptoms. That led Bangor to shut down all public schools for the day due to a lack of drivers. The switch to remote learning came just hours before school was set to begin.

Six schools were supposed to reopen Wednesday, but Cyr Bus Line told the school department shortly after 7 a.m. — with even less advance notice than on Tuesday — that no bus drivers were willing to work due to fear of catching the virus. Those schools remained open Wednesday, but the school department switched to remote instruction for all schools for the remainder of this week because of the lack of available drivers and the need for so many students to quarantine because of potential exposure to the virus. READ MORE