The Death Rate in Maine Rose Just Under 5% in the Last Year

It's interesting how there can be so many views on one thing. For example, a few weeks ago on Grey's Anatomy, there was a patient on the show who called COVID fake and said he knew it was all about the hospitals just trying to earn more money off of people who pass. And that's an actual belief in some people in Maine, New Hampshire, and beyond Northern New England.

There are also people out there who are so deathly afraid of contracting COVID and bringing it home to their loved ones or spreading it to others, that they haven't left their homes since March 2020, and don't plan to until the pandemic is over.

But regardless of what you believe, and everyone is entitled to their belief -- the cold hard facts are, according to Portland Press Herald, is that the death rate in the state rose 4.5% in the last year, and it was mainly due to COVID. The crazy part -- that's the low-end when it comes to COVID's effect on the country.

COVID, according to Portland Press Herald, was the 8th-leading cause of death in Maine, but it was overall the 3rd-leading cause of death nationally in the US, increasing the national death rate by 16% over the last year.

We've been pretty fortunate when it comes to COVID in Maine, with just a fraction of the cases that's been seen elsewhere around the country. Portland Press Herald reported that according to the Maine CDC, cancer is unfortunately still the leading cause of death in the state, followed by heart disease, accidents, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke, Alzheimer's, diabetes, then COVID. Liver disease and the flu/pneumonia round out the list.

It'll be interesting to see what the numbers look like next year, since vaccinations have been given since before the start of the year. Regardless, stay safe out there from any disease possible.