The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported no new cases of COVID-19 and one more recovery among Lincoln County residents in the past week.
As of Monday, Aug. 17, the Maine CDC has reported 35 cases of the respiratory illness in Lincoln County since the outbreak began in mid-March — two of which remain active. There have been 30 confirmed cases and five probable cases. The newest case was reported Friday, Aug. 7.
The probable category includes people who are close contacts of someone with a confirmed case and become symptomatic or someone who has had a confirmed antibody test and either had close contact with someone with a confirmed case or became symptomatic.
The case rate for Lincoln County is 10.2 per 10,000 people. Three residents have been hospitalized at some point in their illness, one of whom has died.
There have been 32 recoveries, leaving the two active cases, a number calculated by subtracting recoveries and deaths from the confirmed and probable case total.
Community transmission of the virus has not been detected in Lincoln County, according to the Maine CDC.
According to John Martins, spokesperson for LincolnHealth, the hospital conducted 263 COVID-19 tests in the past week, with no positive results.
Of the 263 tests performed in the past week, 104 were clinical, for people exhibiting symptoms; 44 were of patients without symptoms at either admission or discharge from the hospital; and 114 were preoperative or of people with known exposure to COVID-19 who did not exhibit symptoms.
Martins said by email that calls to the LincolnHealth Respiratory Care Clinic have remained “steady” in the past week.
Martins said no changes have been made to hospital or testing policy, although LincolnHealth is moving closer to setting up “swab-and-send” COVID-19 testing with the state.
Currently, the governor’s office lists 40 state-sponsored testing sites in the state on its website, more than half of which are considered swab-and-send. None of these sites are in Lincoln County. These sites allow anyone in Maine with an “elevated risk of exposure to COVID-19,” with or without symptoms, to receive a test free of charge, the site states.
As of right now at LincolnHealth, if someone thinks their symptoms warrant a visit to the urgent care center on the St. Andrews Campus in Boothbay Harbor or the emergency department at the Miles Campus in Damariscotta, they can receive a test there after first calling ahead and registering as a patient.
For people with an established relationship with MaineHealth or LincolnHealth, testing may be available without symptoms if the individual has had known exposure or is at elevated risk of exposure.
LincolnHealth defines known exposure as being within 6 feet of someone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19 for at least 30 minutes.
Those at an elevated risk of exposure include: people returning from states that have a higher COVID-19 prevalence than Maine; anyone who has attended a large gathering; employees of businesses who have direct, daily contact with members of the public; essential health care workers and first responders; and residents and staff of group living facilities, such as nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
Martins said arrangements for testing can be made by calling one of LincolnHealth’s primary care offices. If a test is deemed necessary, the individual will be referred to a testing location.
State COVID-19 numbers
The Maine CDC has reported 4,213 COVID-19 cases in Maine as of Monday, Aug. 17, an increase of 163 from the week before. Of those cases, 432 are probable.
There have been 401 hospitalizations and 3,649 people have recovered. There have been 127 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine. The statewide case rate is 31.5 per 10,000 people.
The number of active cases, 437, is an increase of 73 from one week before.
The Maine CDC also lists the results of antibody tests.
Since May 20, 456 people have tested positive for antibodies and there have been 8,799 negative results in Maine. Thirteen tests have been indeterminate.
(Correction: An earlier version of this article online and on the front page of the Aug. 20 print edition incorrectly reported that the governor’s office listed 40 “swab and send” testing locations on its website. As of Friday, Aug. 21, the site lists 44 total state-sponsored testing sites — 24 are “swab-and-send” sites. The Lincoln County News regrets the error.)
