LincolnHealth has seen two weeks of increases in positive COVID-19 tests and four weeks of increases in the number of tests administered, according to LincolnHealth spokesperson John Martins.
For the week of April 11-17, 386 tests for COVID-19 were conducted, up 58 from last week, with 39 positive results.
“Our percentage of positive cases has risen from 3.25% the week of March 28-April 2 to 10.6% April 11-17,” Martins wrote by email.
However, the totals are still well below where they were during the omicron surge, where testing peaked at 1,146 tests and 283 positives the week of Jan. 10-16.
Martins also noted the “encouraging” sign that the number of “swing patients” at LincolnHealth, those awaiting a transfer to another setting for more appropriate care, has dropped from double-digits to six this week.
“Our hospital continues to successfully meet the needs of surgical patients who require an overnight stay, though we monitor this closely,” Martins wrote.
MaineHealth, the health system of which LincolnHealth is a part, is maintaining a database of COVID-19 information that can be accessed online here: mainehealth.org/Coronavirus-COVID-19/what-to-do.
MaineHealth recommends that everyone who is eligible get vaccinated or get a first or second booster shot. A second booster shot has been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Centers for Disease Control for adults age 50 and over and immunocompromised individuals over 12 years old.
The health system also recommends staying home when sick, testing for COVID-19 in the event of symptoms or contact with a COVID-19-positive person, and seeking care when necessary.
Pfizer’s vaccine for children ages 5-11 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.
Martins recommended patients contact their primary care provider, come to the Watson Health Center, or visit vaccine.mainehealth.org to schedule a vaccine appointment.
According to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data through April 19, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 5,274 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus – 4,454 confirmed cases and 820 probable.
Deaths in county residents held steady at 35.
Lincoln County has a “moderate to high” rate of vaccine doses administered per 100,000 residents relative to other counties in the state at 213,478.09.
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, 26,558, or 76.68%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 27,337, or 78.93%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 73,936 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 1,126 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 20,041 additional or booster shots given to Lincoln County residents.
The vaccine is being provided through all of LincolnHealth’s primary care practices, as well as a booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Call the MaineHealth Vaccine Assistant at 1-877-780-7545 to make an appointment.
According to a database maintained by the Maine CDC, vaccine appointments can be requested at Hannaford in Damariscotta, Walgreens in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, and Wiscasset Family Medicine.
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 Wiscasset Family Medicine, call 207-882-6008.
According to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center, the seven-day average positivity rate for Maine is 4.95%, down from 3.89% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of April 19, the Maine CDC has reported 240,810 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 2,036 from the week before. Of those cases, 66,495 are probable.
There have been 4,654 hospitalizations in the state. There have been 2,277 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including 69 reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 1,799.2 per 10,000 people, up from 1.784 last week.
