COVID-19 case counts continue to stay low in Lincoln County residents, with five new cases of the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus identified in the past week.
There have been eight cases identified in the past three weeks. LincolnHealth has not seen a positive case of COVID-19 at the Respiratory Care Clinic on the Miles Campus in Damariscotta for three weeks and fewer people are getting tested.
“We’re pleased to report that it’s been three weeks since our last positive case. It appears testing numbers have stabilized some as well. Clearly, this is great news,” LincolnHealth spokesperson John Martins said in an email.
From June 28 to July 4, the hospital tested 231 people for COVID-19, compared to 376 during the week of June 7-13.
According to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data current as of Tuesday, July 6, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County, 1,086 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus — 897 confirmed cases and 189 probable.
There have been 25 hospitalizations and three residents have died — unchanged from last week.
Martins said that the vaccination clinic at the Watson Center on the hospital’s Miles Campus is now closed and all vaccine appointments can now be made through primary care providers.
“We still have the ability to respond to someone who walks-in, but the process will work best for the patient and our team if they schedule an appointment,” Martins said.
In the past week, LincolnHealth delivered 120 doses of vaccine, including 32 first doses and 88 second doses.
Since loosening the visitation policy on June 28, the hospital has made no additional changes to its policies, Martins said.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible to limit the spread of COVID-19 variants of concern. The agency’s website says that variants of COVID-19 result from the coronavirus constantly “changing through mutation.”
Variants of concern “have the potential to spread more easily and quickly than other variants, which could lead to more cases of COVID-19,” according to the website.
“The emergence and spread of variants also have the potential to chip away at our nation’s progress to end this pandemic,” according to the website.
According to Maine CDC data current as of Tuesday, for the total population, Lincoln County has a “moderate” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 127,741.53. The number does not represent fully vaccinated individuals and, since the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines both require two doses, the number can be higher than 100,000, according to Robert Long, spokesperson for the Maine CDC.
The census data for Lincoln County provided by the Maine CDC lists a population of 34,634. Of those residents, 21,748, or 62.79%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 22,494, or 64.95%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data. A total of 44,242 doses of vaccine have been administered. 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.
According to a database maintained by the Maine CDC, vaccine appointments can be requested at Hannaford in Damariscotta, Walgreens in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, Nathan’s Pharmacy in Boothbay Harbor, and Community Pharmacy in Waldoboro.
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.
To schedule an appointment at Community Pharmacy, go to communityrx.com/covid-19.
To schedule an appointment at Nathan’s Pharmacy, call 315-2280.
According to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center, the seven-day average positivity rate for Maine is 0.46%, down from 1.18% last week.
According to the U.S. CDC, the seven-day average positivity rate for this past week is 2%, up from 1.7% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of Tuesday, the Maine CDC has reported 69,156 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 123 from the week before. Of those cases, 18,583 are probable.
There have been 2,086 hospitalizations in the state. There have been 861 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including three reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 516.7 per 10,000 people, up from 515.8 last week.
The number of new cases identified in the past two weeks is 279, down from 350 last week and 493 the week before.
