The number of COVID-19 tests performed, the number of positive cases, and the positivity rate all rose during the week of Aug. 1-7, according to LincolnHealth spokesperson John Martins.
There were 247 tests performed and 35 positive cases identified in the past week, compared to 218 with 28 positives the previous week. The positivity rate rose nearly 2% to 14.46%, Martins wrote by email.
Community transmission, which is defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and describes the amount of COVID-19 spread in a community, is listed as “high.”
“Transmission levels are what healthcare facilities use to determine infection control intervention,” Martins wrote.
Community levels, which describe the impact of COVID-19 on communities, is low for Lincoln County.
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.
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. 9, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 6,121 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus – 5,144 confirmed cases and 977 probable.
One more Lincoln County resident has died from COVID-19, for a total of 40.
Hospitalizations increased by two to 89.
Lincoln County has a “moderate to high” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 231,942.60. 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, 26,968, or 77.87%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 27,639, or 79.80%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 80,331 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 497 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 25,724 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 8.23%, down from 8.59% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of Aug. 9, the Maine CDC has reported 278,163 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 1,464 from the week before. Of those cases, 77,554 are probable.
There have been 5,419 hospitalizations in the state, including 45 reported in the past week. There have been 2,493 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including 12 reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 2,078.3 per 10,000 people, up from 2,067.4 last week.
