Maine reported 375 new cases of COVID-19 over a three-day period Tuesday, and three additional deaths.

The 375 cases were the total from Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The seven-day average of daily new cases stood at 177 on Tuesday, up from 147.4 a week ago and 38.9 a month ago.

The case increases in Maine and across the nation come amid reports that the Biden administration is expected to announce this week that booster shots will be available for most people eight months after they received their final dose. The boosters are expected to be ready to be administered by the end of September, according to national news reports.

Since the pandemic began, Maine has recorded 72,896 cases of COVID-19 and 907 deaths. Penobscot County had the most cases over the three-day period with 95 new cases, followed by York County at 59 and Cumberland County at 36.

Cumberland County – the state’s most populous and most highly-vaccinated county – is experiencing a case count decline over a seven-day period, with an average of 51.8 cases per 100,000 population. Penobscot County is seeing a surge, with 259.5 cases per 100,000 population. York and Androscoggin counties are also seeing declining cases.

Cumberland County’s vaccination rate is 72.9 percent of its population, compared to the statewide average of 61.5 percent. Somerset County has the lowest vaccination rate at 49.2 percent.

With the exception of Kennebec County, every county has substantial or high levels of transmission, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Under the agency’s recommendations, all people regardless of vaccination status should be wearing masks in public indoor settings, except in Kennebec County.

Despite the uptick in cases in recent weeks, Maine has the second-lowest virus prevalence in the country, according to the Harvard Global Health Institute. Maine’s rate of 13 cases per 100,000 residents is only beaten by Vermont, at 10.7 cases per 100,000. In areas where the virus is spreading the fastest, Florida and Louisiana, case counts are at 138 per 100,000 and 116 per 100,000, respectively.

The federal government approved boosters for those who are immune compromised last week, and pharmacies are now giving the shots.

Walgreens, CVS and Community Pharmacy, a Maine-based chain, are among the pharmacies offering the shots to those with moderately to severely compromised immune systems. That includes people undergoing cancer treatments, receiving an organ transplant, taking stem cell treatments or who have HIV or other immunodeficiency diseases, according to the U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Immunocompromised people for whom the booster is approved account for about 3 percent of the population. Maine pharmacies are not requiring evidence that a person is immune compromised before dispensing the shots.

This story will be updated.

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