LincolnHealth and the MaineHealth system continue to see cases dropping in the county and across the state, leading to more available hospital beds in the system, according to an email from LincolnHealth Spokesperson John Martins.
Of the 405 tests conducted from Feb. 14 to Feb. 21, there were 57 positive cases for a positivity rate of 14.4%, down from 67 and 14.5% the week prior.
Martins said that LincolnHealth is at capacity, but the MaineHealth system has seen an increase in the availability of beds. A month ago, there were 199 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 across the MaineHealth system, but as of last Thursday the system had only 82 patients.
“At this point, things are moving in a very positive direction in Lincoln County and across the state of Maine,” Martins said.
The booster clinic at the Watson Health Center on the Miles Campus is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for appointments and walk-ins. Booster appointments can be made at vaccine.mainehealth.org or by calling 877-780-7545. Those registering will need to provide the date of their last COVID-19 shot.
Those who received a Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are eligible for a booster shot six months after their initial series. For those who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, booster shots are recommended after two or more months.
Pediatric COVID-19 vaccinations are 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.
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.
According to Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention data through Feb. 21, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 4,871 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus – 4,150 confirmed cases and 721 probable.
There have been three COVID-19-related deaths reported in the last week, raising the total to 26 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 Feb. 21, 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 214,139.34.
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, 26,360, or 76.11%, have received their first dose of the vaccine and 27,099, or 78.24%, have received the second and final dose, according to the agency’s data.
A total of 70,848 doses of vaccine have been administered, up 190 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 17,389 additional or booster shots given to Lincoln County residents, up 227 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 7.45%, down from 9.34% last week.
State COVID-19 numbers
According to data current as of Feb. 21, the Maine CDC has reported 221,406 COVID-19 cases in Maine, an increase of 19,185 from the week before. Of those cases, 59,970 are probable.
There have been 4,254 hospitalizations in the state. There have been 1,960 deaths so far from COVID-19 in Maine, including 102 reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 1.654.3 per 10,000 people, up from 1,510.9 last week.
