LincolnHealth reported 14 new COVID-19 cases from 247 tests for the week of Feb. 28. The 5.7% positivity rate is at its lowest since the end of August 2021. Six positive cases, or about 43%, were breakthroughs, those who have been vaccinated and contracted the virus. Three of the six breakthrough cases, or 21%, had a vaccine booster.

Two years after the beginning of the pandemic, LincolnHealth thanks its healthcare providers, staff and the community, said LincolnHealth’s John Martins. The hospital has conducted 45,000 tests, cared for 61 COVID-19 patients and has administered nearly 38,822 doses of vaccines to 19,748 patients, he said.

“March 12 is the completion of two years with this pandemic … (and) our hospital incident command team will have been guiding planning and needed responses during the pandemic for 728 consecutive days … LincolnHealth is very grateful for our hard-working team members and all those in the community who’ve helped us along the way.”

LincolnHealth President Cindy Wade said Maine has seen a drastic downward trend before, so while communities celebrate the diminishing presence of COVID-19, she hopes everyone proceeds with hope and caution.

“The good news is we’re better prepared based on experiences over the last two years,” said Wade. “Our healthcare system has proven its ability to adapt during a public health crisis, while our community partnerships expanded and have never been better connected.”

Testing, positive cases and positivity rates have dropped almost by half since mid-February, said Martins. An encouraging sign the need for large-scale testing is going away, he said plans are unfolding to transition the Damariscotta Belvedere Road testing site back to Miles Campus. University of Maine at Presque Isle data shows 78.5% of LincolnHealth patients are vaccinated and 3.8 people per 1,000 in Lincoln County are infected with COVID-19, he said.

Said Martins, “The challenge we’ve faced regarding bed availability continues somewhat, with a full hospital yesterday. In the last week, we have had a chance to do more surgeries that require overnight stays, however.”