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121,220 Cumulative vaccinations in Maine (An increase of 6,007 from Tuesday)

92,498 First doses administered in Maine (An increase of 2,844 from Tuesday)

28,700 Second doses administered in Maine (An increase of 3,141 from Tuesday)

38,170 Total cases (An increase of 462 from Tuesday)

562 Deaths (An increase of 4 from Tuesday)

462 New daily cases (A decrease of 200 from Tuesday)

183 Currently in hospital (A decrease of 11 from Tuesday)

Another four Mainers have died as health officials on Wednesday reported 462 more coronavirus cases across the state.

The number of coronavirus cases diagnosed in the past 14 days statewide is 7,046. 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 7,393 on Tuesday.

Wednesday marked a sharp drop in new cases from a day earlier. It comes amid a general decline in the volume of new cases reported daily across the state, mirroring a gradual national decline in coronavirus transmission over the past two weeks.

Two Cumberland County residents, a Kennebec County resident and a Penobscot County resident have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 562.

Wednesday’s report brings the total number of coronavirus cases in Maine to 38,170, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s up from 37,708 on Tuesday. READ MORE

Maine hospitals are expressing concerns about a reduction in reimbursements that’s included in Gov. Janet Mills proposed supplemental state budget. They say what appears to be a small cut will cost them millions of dollars in future years.

At first glance, the $300,000 cut to payments hospitals receive for outpatient services does not seem too significant, but Jeff Austin of the Maine Hospital Association says the language continues the cut into future budgets.

“It is a cut to hospital outpatient reimbursement. The supplemental budget is listed as a $300,000 cut. The cut actually total is carried forward into the biennium. When this is fully implemented, this is a $7 million-a-year cut,” he says.

Some hospitals testified in opposition to the proposal Tuesday before the state Appropriations Committee. Katie Harris of the state’s largest health care provider, MaineHealth, said the organization provides services in 11 of the state’s 16 counties and experienced significant losses from the pandemic. LISTEN TO THIS REPORT

In her first full day as chair of the interior subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree held a closed-door briefing with more than a dozen law enforcement and military officials on what went wrong with security during the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.

"The basic questions are: Did we not have sufficient intelligence? Or did somebody not act on it? And one of the complexities of D.C. is that because it’s not a sovereign state, they can’t just call up the National Guard, as you would with a governor in another state. They have to go through all kinds of layers to get the Guard, plus you have the Capitol Security Police, who guard the Capitol, you have the Secret Service that the guard the Vice President, you have the Park Police that guard the area where the rally was held. And then you have, you know, the D.C. National Guard, other states’ National Guard. But ultimately, all these decisions get made by the U.S. Army," said Pingree. READ MORE

Beginning Tuesday, Northern Light Health will offer community vaccinations for Mainers 70 and over at the Cross Insurance Center.

The site will be capable of administering 2,000 doses a day once fully operational, Dr. James Jarvis, leader of the coronavirus response at Northern Light, told the Bangor Daily News on Tuesday. The site will eventually include more than 40 fully staff vaccination stations.

The Cross Insurance Center vaccination center will begin with a soft launch Tuesday with the goal to vaccinate 900 Mainers, a Northern Light spokesperson said. An additional 900 vaccinations are planned for Thursday. READ MORE

By Patty Wight of Maine Public

An effort is underway in the Maine Legislature to close a loophole in state election laws allowing foreign-owned companies to influence state ballot campaigns.

Republican Sen. Rick Bennett, of Oxford, and Democratic Rep. Nicole Grohoski, of Ellsworth, are reviving legislation introduced last year designed to block Hydro-Quebec — a Canadian utility — from influencing a ballot initiative that would have killed a controversial power line project through western Maine.

Last year’s proposal died when the Legislature adjourned early because of the pandemic. READ MORE

Report shows significant lack of quality child care in rural Maine communities

Avian Haven says three bald eagles have died from lead poisoning in past week

Police arrest 18-year-old in reported Lisbon stabbing