Maine reported 526 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday and another increase in hospitalizations. 

There are now 136 people hospitalized with the virus in Maine, including 29 in critical care and 11 on ventilators. There were no deaths reported. The state’s death toll in the pandemic to date is 2,282. Maine has now seen 243,128 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. 

The state processed more than 10,000 COVID-19 tests in a single day Tuesday for the first time since mid-February. The positivity rate for Tuesday was around 7%. 

The Portland Press Herald reports that Mainers have caught COVID-19 at a far lower rate than the national average, according to a new study, with the third-lowest infection rate in the country behind Vermont and Hawaii. 

The study reportedly says that 35% of Maine residents have been infected since the pandemic began, whereas the national average is 58%. Both figures increased sharply after the spread of the delta and omicron variants.