The state of Maine has bought more than a million over-the-counter COVID-19 tests, with a quarter slated to be distributed to childcare centers and the rest to be stockpiled in the event of another surge. 

The federally funded Siemens tests will enable a “test-to-stay” option for parents whose children come in close contact with an infected person, letting them regularly test their child for coronavirus and stay at their childcare facility rather than quarantine as long as they are healthy. 

Governor Janet Mills’ office said in a news release Wednesday that the state will hold onto the remaining tests “to meet future needs in the event of a new surge of COVID-19, with a focus on supporting families with school-aged children, underserved communities and congregate living settings.” 

The state is still receiving thousands of COVID-19 test results from labs around the state every day, even as the January omicron surge tails off and hospitalizations remain roughly steady. The positivity rate of those tests, as of Wednesday, was about as low as it’s been in months at 3.3%. 

Meanwhile, the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 12 more coronavirus deaths and 284 cases Thursday, for a death toll to date of 2,179. There have been 233,237 cases in Maine over the past two years.

Of the people most recently reported to have died, five were women and seven were men. Seven were over 80, one was in their 70s, three were in their 60s and one was in their 20s – marking the 11th person in that age group to have died in Maine since the pandemic began. 

Hospitalizations dropped to 111 on Thursday, down four from what was reported on Wednesday. Twenty-two patients remain in intensive care and seven are on ventilators.