LincolnHealth saw 30 positive cases of COVID-19 in the past week, up from 22 the previous week, according to hospital spokesperson John Martins.
From July 4-10, LincolnHealth performed 219 total tests with 30 positives, for a positivity rate of 13.82%, up from 9.13% last week.
Martins also said emergency department visits and wait times have increased.
“We encourage those who (are) not experiencing a life-threatening emergency to call their primary care offices to inquire about an appointment or to consider walk-in care in Boothbay Harbor,” Martins said in an email.
LincolnHealth is now offering 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, July 12, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 5,966 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus – 5,008 confirmed cases and 958 probable. So far, 38 Lincoln County residents have died from COVID-19, the same as last week.
Thirty cases have been identified in Lincoln County residents in the past week. Hospitalizations increased by one to 84.
Lincoln County has a “moderate to high” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 229,014.84. 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, 26,842, or 77.50%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 27,502, or 79.41%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 79,317 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 237 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 24,973 additional or booster shots given to Lincoln County residents.
According to a database maintained by the Maine CDC, vaccine appointments can be requested at Hannaford in Damariscotta, Walgreens in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, and Wiscasset Family Medicine.
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 Wiscasset Family Medicine, call 882-6008.
According to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center, the seven-day average positivity rate for Maine is 7.93%, up from 7.03% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of July 12, the Maine CDC has reported 272,361 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 1,563 from the week before. Of those cases, 76,020 are probable.
There have been 5,240 hospitalizations in the state, including 63 reported in the past week. There have been 2,463 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including 27 reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 2,035.0 per 10,000 people, up from 2,023.3 last week.
