There were 20 new cases of COVID-19 identified in residents of Lincoln County in the past week, according to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data current as of Monday, Feb. 20.
The total number of residents hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020 remained at 123 and total deaths stayed at 44.
According to LincolnHealth Director of Communications and Public Affairs Director John Martins, LincolnHealth administered 171 tests between Feb. 20 and Feb. 26.
“Here at LincolnHealth, we saw a sizeable uptick in total tests, positive tests and percentage positive last week,” Martins said. “The percent positive was 16.47, the highest it has been in some time. The number of tests was the highest since the first week in January, and positive tests doubled (28) from the previous week.
It is too soon to say if the increase is a trend, but the healthcare provider is continuing to monitor the situation, Martins said.
Since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 6,855 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus – 5,718 confirmed cases and 1,137 probable.
Lincoln County has a “moderate” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 270,162.27. 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, 27,262, or 78.71%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 28,001, or 80.85%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 93,568 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 63 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 38,369 additional or booster shots given to Lincoln County residents.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of Tuesday, Feb. 28, the Maine CDC has reported 316,760 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 1692 from the week before. Of those cases, 90,780 are probable.
There have been 7,035 hospitalizations in the state, with 51 being reported in the past week. There have been 2,921 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including nine reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 2,366.7 per 10,000 people, up from 2,354.1 last week.
