LincolnHealth administered 855 COVID-19 tests this past week, the most the hospital has conducted since the week ending in Sept. 26, and early indications show that record will likely be surpassed according to LincolnHealth spokesperson John Martins.
Of the 855 tests conducted during the last week, there were 122 positive cases for a positivity rate of 15.78, down from 19.64% the week prior.
LincolnHealth set a single-day record for tests on Dec. 27 with 272.
“The labs are working tirelessly to turn the results around,” Martins said, however, there were 218 tests that had not yielded results by the afternoon of Dec. 28. There was also a large amount of phone calls over the holiday weekend, he added, saying that team members were in the process of working their way through 275 calls after the Christmas break.
The testing site at 40 Belvedere Road in Damariscotta has worked well, Martins said, and staff members are doing all they can to keep up with the demand for appointments.
Martins also reported an “interesting phenomenon” in Lincoln County with booster shot appointments available.
“Many areas of the states, particularly in southern Maine, have no
capacity,” Martins said in an email. “We’ve seen the number of booster shots slow over the last two weeks at our clinic at the Watson Center, and we encourage people age 16
and up to consider receiving the booster.”
Boosters are available by appointment only. Appointments can be made at vaccine.mainehealth.org/booster or by calling 877-780-7545. Those registering will need to provide the date of their final COVID-19 shot.
Those who received a Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are eligible for a booster shot six months after their initial series. Those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, booster shots are also recommended for those who were vaccinated two or more months ago.
On Nov. 2, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. Pfizer’s vaccine for children is available in a two-dose series, and is administered in a lower dose than the vaccine for adolescents and adults. Just like adults, doses will be administered 21 days apart.
Pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations are now available 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday in the Lincoln Medical Partners Primary Care Office in Damariscotta. Pediatric patients do not need to schedule special appointments.
According to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data through Dec. 28, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 2,783 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus — 2,337 confirmed cases and 446 probable.
There have been no COVID-19-related deaths in the last week, keeping the total at 11 in the county.
According to a graph maintained by the Bangor Daily News, masking is recommended in Lincoln County and every other county in Maine. The U.S. CDC is recommending that people wear face coverings indoors if there is “substantial transmission” of the coronavirus in a county, defined as a weekly case rate of 50 or more cases per 100,000 people.
According to Maine CDC data current as of Dec. 28, for the total population, Lincoln County has a “moderate to high” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 192,459.39.
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, 25,784, or 74.45%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 26,433, or 76.32%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 66,655 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 900 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 14,438 additional or booster shots given to Lincoln County residents, up 698 doses from last week.
The vaccine is being provided through all of LincolnHealth’s primary care practices, as well as a booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech 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 or call 1-800-WALGREENS.
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 9.83%, up from 8.16% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of Tuesday, the Maine CDC has reported 144,538 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 5,117 from the week before. Of those cases, 40,214 are probable.
There have been 3,405 hospitalizations in the state. There have been 1,510 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including 42 reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 1,079.9 per 10,000 people, up from 1,041.7 last week.
Maine reported 1,325 new cases on Wednesday along with 18 additional deaths.
