The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Maine  dropped for a fourth consecutive day on Saturday.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported a total of 110 hospitalizations, including 25 in critical care units and three on ventilators.

The overall number is down from 114 on Friday, 125 on Thursday and 130 on Tuesday. On Saturday the Maine CDC also reported 202 new COVID-19 cases.

That said, compared to this time in 2021, hospitalizations and new cases are much higher.

The increase, experts say, is likely the result of omicron subvariants that are more contagious than previous strains, and more likely to reinfect people who have been immunized and have already had the virus.

Since the pandemic began, Maine has recorded 271,596 cases and 2,461 deaths.