The number of positive cases of COVID-19 identified at LincolnHealth continues to fluctuate, with a slight decrease this past week.
From July 25-31, the hospital tested 218 individuals with 28 positive results, for a positivity rate of 12.9%. This rate is down from 15.89%.
July saw a 76% increase in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 identified at LincolnHealth, with 127 cases compared to 72 in June, according to hospital spokesperson John Martins.
According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maps, transmission levels in Lincoln County, which are used to advise healthcare settings, have been downgraded from high to substantial and the community levels remain low.
Community levels are calculated using the number of new COVID-19 admissions per 100,000 population in the past seven days, the percentage of staffed inpatient beds occupied by COVID-19 patients, and total new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days.
Martins said 12,553 tests have been performed since January and more than 1,876 positive cases have been identified so far this year.
He offered “kudos” to the LincolnHealth teams and the NorDx laboratory for supporting the volume of testing.
LincolnHealth offers the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone 6 months and older.
Call the MaineHealth Vaccine Assistant at 1-877-780-7545 or email vaccine@mainehealth.org for an appointment. An appointment is preferred and can be made by calling a Lincoln Medical Partners office or by visiting vaccine.mainehealth.org.
MaineHealth is maintaining a database of COVID-19 information that can be accessed at mainehealth.org/coronavirus-COVID-19/what-to-do.
The health system also recommends staying home when sick, testing for COVID-19 in the event of symptoms or contact with a COVID-19-positive person, and seeking care when necessary.
According to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data current through Tuesday, Aug. 2, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 6,075 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus – 5,103 confirmed cases and 972 probable.
One more Lincoln County resident has died from COVID-19, for a total of 39.
Hospitalizations increased by one to 87.
Lincoln County has a “moderate to high” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 231,336.26. 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.
The census data for Lincoln County provided by the Maine CDC lists a population of 34,634. Of those residents, 26,941, or 77.79%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 27,597, or 79.68%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 79,834 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 287 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 25,583 additional or booster shots given to Lincoln County residents.
According to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center, the seven-day average positivity rate for Maine is 8.59%, down from 8.85% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of Aug. 2, the Maine CDC has reported 276,699 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 1,461 from the week before. Of those cases, 77,170 are probable.
There have been 5,374 hospitalizations in the state, including 97 reported in the past week. There have been 2,481 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including 16 reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 2,067.4 per 10,000 people, up from 2,056.5 last week.
