Following approval and recommendation from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week, LincolnHealth is now offering COVID-19 booster shots at its primary care offices to all persons over the age of 5.
Appointments are preferred and can be made by calling a Lincoln Medical Partners office or by visiting vaccine.mainehealth.org, LincolnHealth spokesman John Martins said via email.
The vaccine will be made available through all LincolnHealth primary care practices, as well as through booster shots. Call the MaineHealth Vaccine Assistant at 1-877-780-7545 or email [email protected] to schedule an appointment.
The hospital conducted 65 fewer COVID-19 tests in the week of May 16-22 than last week and saw 44 positive results, compared to 56 last week.
The positivity rate for the past week is 10.23% compared to 11.31% the week before.
MaineHealth, the healthcare system of which LincolnHealth is a part, maintains a database of COVID-19 information that can be accessed online here: mainehealth.org/coronavirus-COVID-19/what-to-do.
The health system also recommends staying at home if you are ill, testing for COVID-19 if you have symptoms or contact with a COVID-19 positive person, and seek medical attention if necessary.
According to data from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention through Tuesday, May 24, since COVID-19 arrived in Lincoln County in March 2020, 5,713 residents have had the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus — 4,819 confirmed cases and 894 probable cases.
The number of deaths among residents in the county remained constant at 35.
Lincoln County has a “high” rate of administered vaccine doses per 100,000 population at 223,110.24 compared to other counties in the state. The number does not represent fully vaccinated individuals, and since the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines both require two doses, the number may be in excess of 100,000.
Lincoln County census data provided by the Maine CDC lists a population of 34,634. Of those residents, 26,660, or 76.98%, received their first dose of the vaccine and 27,324, or 78.89%, the second and last dose, according to the agency.
A total of 77,272 doses of vaccine were administered, 507 doses more than last week. Those counted in the last dose category received either the second dose of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the single dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Lincoln County residents received 23,288 supplemental or booster shots.
Vaccination appointments can be requested from Hannaford in Damariscotta, Walgreens in Damariscotta and Boothbay Harbor, and Wiscasset Family Medicine, according to a database maintained by the Maine CDC.
Patients at Sheepscot Valley Health Center in Coopers Mills can call 549-7581 to make an appointment for a vaccine.
To make an appointment with Hannaford, go to hannaford.com/pharmacy/covid-19-vaccine.
To schedule an appointment with Walgreens, go to walgreens.com/schedulevaccine or call 1-800-WALGREENS.
To schedule an appointment with Wiscasset Family Medicine, call 882-6008.
According to Johns Hopkins University’s Coronavirus Resource Center, the average seven-day positivity rate in Maine is 10.3%, up from 9.96% last week.
Provide COVID-19 numbers
As of May 24, the Maine CDC has reported 261,031 COVID-19 cases in Maine, up 4,073 from the previous week. Of these cases, 72,801 are probable.
There were 4,939 hospitalizations in the state. So far, Maine has had 2,345 deaths from COVID-19, including eight reported in the last week. The statewide case rate is 1,950.3 per 10,000 people, up from 1,919.9 last week.
