LincolnHealth saw a record-setting number of positive COVID-19 cases from Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, according to an email from LincolnHealth spokesperson John Martins.
LincolnHealth tested 636 individuals for COVID-19 with 90 positive results, for a positivity rate of 14.2%, up from 13.1% the week prior.
Both the number of positive tests and the percent positivity rate are the highest on record to date.
Testing numbers seem to be continuing the upward trend as LincolnHealth reported 24 positive cases from tests conducted on Monday, Dec. 6, according to Martins.
Martins said that capacity at LincolnHealth, and in every other hospital in Maine, remains a concern.
“Our teams continue to rise to the occasion despite all the challenges. Our communities are so fortunate to have so many skilled and dedicated team members,” he said.
LincolnHealth’s Respiratory Care Clinic, currently located at the Van Winkle Center, will be moving to the parking lot outside of the Arrowsmith Building on Belvedere Road in Damariscotta on Dec. 18 to direct some traffic away from the hospital. Staff will begin conducting testing by appointment at the new location on Dec. 20.
Martins said that the clinic has conducted nearly 13,500 COVID-19 tests since March 2020.
“We congratulate this team for its continued excellence,” he said.
After the Respiratory Care Clinic moves, LincolnHealth will begin working on expanding space for physical therapy, occupational therapy, and wellness and nutrition services, which will take the better part of a year.
LincolnHealth has also begun its second round of vaccinations for students aged 5-11 in schools, and the hospital is considering offering more clinics outside of schools.
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.
To make an appointment for a child at the Watson Center, call 633-1934.
LincolnHealth is continuing to provide booster shots Monday through Friday in the Watson Health Center. 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.
Anyone age 18 and up can receive a booster. 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.
From Nov. 29 to Dec. 5, the number of “breakthrough cases” in fully vaccinated individuals rose to 26, 29% of the total positive cases. Twenty-five of the positive results were in people under 18 years of age, holding steady from the last two weeks.
According to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data through Tuesday, Dec. 7, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 2,247 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus — 1,862 confirmed cases and 385 probable.
There have been no COVID-19-related deaths in the last week, leaving the total at 10 in the county.
An estimate of the number of people with an active infection of COVID-19 can be made using the number of cases identified within two weeks from the latest data updated on Dec. 2, 143, down from 162 the prior week and 151 two weeks prior.
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 Nov. 30, 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 187,426.33.
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, 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, 25,289, or 73.02%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 25,947, or 74.92%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 62,010 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 2,136 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 10,774 additional or booster shots given to Lincoln County residents, up 9,393 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 7.6%, up from 5.43% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of Tuesday, the Maine CDC has reported 125,373 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 5,711 from the week before. Of those cases, 35,780 are probable.
There have been 3,185 hospitalizations in the state. There have been 1,356 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including 32 reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 936.7 per 10,000 people, up from 894.1 last week.
On Dec. 8, Maine reported 1,275 new cases on Wednesday, the highest number of new cases reported in a single day, along with eight additional deaths.
