The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention has reported no new cases of COVID-19 and one more recovery in Lincoln County over the past week.
In total, 20 people from Lincoln County have tested positive and two have been hospitalized. There have been 17 recoveries, leaving a total of three active cases. The Maine CDC last reported a new case in the county May 24.
Community transmission of the virus has not been detected in Lincoln County, according to the Maine CDC.
The Maine CDC also began releasing data for each ZIP code in Maine this past week.
In Lincoln County, there are no cases in Alna, Bremen, Bristol, Dresden, East Boothbay, Nobleboro, South Bristol, or Whitefield.
Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Damariscotta, Edgecomb, Jefferson, Newcastle, Southport, Waldoboro, Walpole, and Wiscasset are all listed as having between one and five probable or confirmed cases of COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus.
LincolnHealth has not seen any new COVID-19 cases for 19 days, according to hospital data.
Since the coronavirus arrived in the county March 15, LincolnHealth has performed 669 tests, with 11 positives and 655 negatives. There are currently three tests in process.
“While no new cases is certainly good news, our policies and safety precautions remain the same. We continue to mask and distance staff and patients. All employees must complete a screening before reporting to work and patients are asked a series of screening questions and must put on a mask before entering our facilities,” Dr. Andrew Russ, associate vice president of medical affairs, said in an email.
John Martins, spokesperson for LincolnHealth, said by email that the number of calls to LincolnHealth’s COVID-19 clinic has spiked over the past week, coinciding with Gov. Janet Mills’ announcement Monday, June 8 that Maine plans to quadruple its testing capacity starting July 1.
“That plan does not take effect until July, however, and we, along with all MaineHealth hospitals, continue the practice of testing only those with a physician’s order. It’s important for people to recognize that we are not in a position to offer a test to anyone who wishes a test at this time,” Martins said.
Martins expects requests for COVID-19 tests to continue rising.
Russ said LincolnHealth is working with MaineHealth to determine how Mills’ new testing policy can “enhance and support current testing.”
“There is a MaineHealth group working on evaluating and revising visitation policies that have limited contact between hospitalized patients and their family members. We anticipate that new visitation policies will be in place soon,” Russ said in an email.
Also on Monday, Mills announced that starting July 1, out-of-state visitors to Maine will not have to quarantine for 14 days if they have received a negative COVID-19 test within the past 72 hours. Visitors from New Hampshire or Vermont are exempt from both requirements because of the relatively low case total in those states.
State COVID-19 numbers
The Maine CDC reports that 2,606 people have or had COVID-19 in Maine as of Tuesday, June 9, an increase of 229 from the week before.
There have been 302 hospitalizations and 1,992 people have recovered. The Maine CDC reported the 100th death from COVID-19 on Tuesday, June 9.
Of the 2,606 cases, 284 are “probable cases.” This category includes people who are close contacts of someone with a confirmed case and become symptomatic.
The number of active cases, 514 – calculated by subtracting recoveries and deaths from the confirmed case total – is a decrease of 123 from one week before.
The Maine CDC also lists the results of antibody tests, which are intended to detect whether someone has had COVID-19 and recovered from it. It is not yet known if testing positive for coronavirus antibodies confers immunity from COVID-19.
Since May 20, 255 people have tested positive for antibodies and there have been 4,803 negative results in Maine. Eight tests were indeterminate.
