Despite a decrease in testing, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 identified at LincolnHealth increased from 23 last week to 34 this week, for a positivity rate of 15.89%.
The percentage of positive cases is the highest seen since the week of April 18-24, when the positivity rate was 16.2%, according to LincolnHealth spokesperson John Martins.
“We have only been higher than this week’s total positive twice since the first week of February,” Martins wrote by email.
“We continue to monitor this data closely and encourage people who are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine to call your primary care physician and make an appointment,” Martins wrote. “You can also register online at 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, July 26, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 6,037 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus – 5,070 confirmed cases and 967 probable. So far, 38 Lincoln County residents have died from COVID-19, the same as the past two weeks.
Hospitalizations increased by one to 86.
Lincoln County has a “moderate to high” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 230,507.59. 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, 26,904, or 77.68%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 27,564, or 79.59%, 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 517 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 25,366 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 8.85%, up from 8.46% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of July 26, the Maine CDC has reported 275,238 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 1,671 from the week before. Of those cases, 76,739 are probable.
There have been 5,277 hospitalizations in the state, including 52 reported in the past week. There have been 2,465 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, one reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 2,056.5 per 10,000 people, up from 2,044.0 last week.
