Over the past two weeks, the number of deaths related to COVID-19 have dropped, but case data shows the disease is still present in Maine, according to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hospitalizations have remained relatively consistent, rarely changing by more than 10 in the past two weeks. As of Friday morning, there were 114 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Maine, one fewer than recorded one week ago. The number in intensive care has gone up from 19 on July 1 to 24 Friday morning. There were four people on ventilators, which is one higher than reported on July 1.

The positivity rate, after peaking in the middle of May, appears to have leveled off after steadily dropping until mid-June. Thursday’s rate, reported Friday morning, is 7.1%, which remains consistent with the overall leveling off, according to MaineCDC data. Nationally, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list most Maine counties as having “low” community levels, which means people who live in those areas should stay up to date on vaccines and get tested if they have symptoms. The CDC’s website lists Aroostook County’s level at “medium,” which adds advice to people who are at high risk for the disease to speak with health care providers about whether masking is necessary.

The total number of cases since the pandemic began has gone from 268,633 on June 23 to 271,394 as of Friday morning, an increase of 2,761, or just over 1%. Deaths from the disease seemed to drop off recently, with only two new deaths reported during the past week, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 2,461. Nationally, daily death counts have been dropping since a peak of 4,220 on Feb. 1, according to the CDC.

Statistics in Maine over the past two weeks show victims of the disease are predominantly aged 80 or older. This mirrors national figures, which show the most deaths in recent weeks occured in people age 75 or older.