LincolnHealth spokesperson John Martins said by email that the plan to distribute booster shots has been finalized.
Boosters will be available by appointment only at the Herbert and Roberta Watson Health Center at LincolnHealth’s Miles Campus in Damariscotta beginning Monday, Nov. 1. Appointments can be made at vaccine.mainehealth.org or by calling 877-780-7545. Those registering will need to provide the date of their final COVID-19 shot.
Martins said that when to get a booster will depend on the kind of vaccination that an individual received and when they received it.
Those who received a Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and are ages 18 or older are eligible for a booster shot six months after their initial series. Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who are 18 and older and who were vaccinated two or more months ago.
Martins said that most people in Lincoln County received Moderna vaccinations, their last shot would need to be on or before May 1 to be able to receive a booster on Nov. 1.
Between Oct. 18 and Oct. 24, LincolnHealth tested 551 individuals for COVID-19 with 39 positive results, for a positivity rate of 7.1%, down from 8.2% last week.
The number of “breakthrough cases” in fully vaccinated individuals rose to 12, 31% of the total positive cases, and 12 of the positive results were in people under 18 years of age.
Martins said that it is “interesting” to see that testing and positive case numbers have held steady for most of the month of October.
After a spike in weekly COVID-19 case counts in Lincoln County residents, new cases have dropped to 53 in the past week, down from 65 cases last week and 53 the week prior.
According to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data current as of Tuesday, Oct. 19, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 1,804 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus — 1,470 confirmed cases and 334 probable.
There have been two deaths in Lincoln County related to COVID-19 in the last week, bringing the total to six COVID-19-related deaths since March 2020.
An estimate of the number of people with an active infection of COVID-19 can be made using the number of cases identified in the past two weeks, 118, holding relatively steady from 118 last week and 119 the week prior.
According to a graph maintained by the Bangor Daily News, as of Tuesday, Oct. 19, masking is recommended in Lincoln County and every other county in Maine.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending that people wear face coverings indoors if there is “substantial transmission” of the coronavirus in a county, defined as a weekly case rate of 50 or more cases per 100,000 people.
According to Maine CDC data current as of Tuesday, for the total population, Lincoln County has a “moderate to high” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 147,300.34.
The number does not represent fully vaccinated individuals and, since the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines both require two doses, the number can be higher than 100,000, according to Robert Long, spokesperson for the Maine CDC.
The census data for Lincoln County provided by the Maine CDC lists a population of 34,634. Of those residents, 23,767, or 68.61%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 25,861, or 74.65%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 51,016 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 1,056 doses from last week. Those counted in the final dose category have either received the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
There have been 1,388 additional or booster shots given to Lincoln County residents, up 151 doses from last week.
The vaccine is being provided through all of LincolnHealth’s primary care practices, as well a booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
According to a database maintained by the Maine CDC, vaccine appointments can be requested at Hannaford in Damariscotta, Walgreens in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Nathan’s Pharmacy in Boothbay Harbor, and Community Pharmacy in Waldoboro.
Patients of Sheepscot Valley Health Center in Coopers Mills can call 549-7581 to make an appointment for a vaccine.
To schedule an appointment at Hannaford, go to hannaford.com/pharmacy/covid-19-vaccine.
To schedule an appointment at Walgreens, go to walgreens.com/schedulevaccine or call 1-800-WALGREENS.
To schedule an appointment at Community Pharmacy, go to communityrx.com/covid-19.
To schedule an appointment at Nathan’s Pharmacy, call 315-2280.
According to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center, the seven-day average positivity rate for Maine is 6.6%, down from 8.64% last week.
According to the U.S. CDC, the seven-day average positivity rate for this past week is 5.2%, down from 5.7% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of Wednesday, the Maine CDC has reported 102,469 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 3,213 from the week before. Of those cases, 29,337 are probable.
There have been 2,759 hospitalizations in the state. There have been 1,154 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including 45 reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 765.6 per 10,000 people, up from 741.6 last week.
The number of new cases identified in the past two weeks is 6,636, down from 14,100 last week and 18,186 the week prior.
