On Sunday the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention did not report new numbers of people hospitalized with COVID-19 across Maine.

The state does not report new case numbers on Sundays and Mondays, but usually reports hospitalization numbers. Emails to state officials went unanswered on Sunday.

On Saturday the Maine CDC said that 352 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, five fewer than the day before.

While it’s a small decrease, it is an indication that while infections continue to spread in Maine and across the country, the omicron variant wave is decreasing. Of those in the hospital, 86 were in critical care units, 38 were on ventilators, the state reported.

On Saturday the Maine CDC data showed that another five people with COVID-19 have died, which means Maine has lost 1,738 citizens.

Cases continue to grow with the state reporting Saturday 174,225 cases since the pandemic began, or 1,301 cases for every 100,000 people.

However, that isn’t the full picture. Because the Maine CDC is working to clear a backlog of thousands of positive tests, the case count no longer reflects the rate of infections. In addition, many people are taking home tests that are not always reported to the state.