The LincolnHealth vaccine clinic at Boothbay Region YMCA was at its busiest the week of April 4: 1,300 new doses and 891 second doses of Moderna vaccine and 15 doses of Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine were distributed for a total of over 2,200 vaccinations.

Newly appointed LincolnHealth President Cynthia Wade said she is proud of how well the clinic has been serving the people of Lincoln County and she is impressed with the staff and volunteers who keep the clinic running. “We can't say enough about the Boothbay Y allowing us to be in their space. They have been very accommodating and very generous with their space, they're helpful, they check on us every day and are in and out of the clinic to make sure we have everything we need. And they're volunteering some hours with us as well which has been very helpful.”

Wade said nearly half the staff required to keep the clinic running smoothly have been volunteers. As of April 12, those efforts have brought Lincoln County to the top of the list of first-round doses at 45.5% and third in full vaccination at 31.93% behind Washington (34.87%) and Aroostook (32.22%) counties. Lincoln County had 15,787 first doses and 11,060 second doses. Nearly 90% of Lincoln County residents 70 and over are fully vaccinated; 47.64% for 60-69; 17.16% for 50-59; 15.35% for 40-49; 13.91% for 30-39; 9.7% for 20-29; and 3.26% for 16-19.

LincolnHealth Director of Communications and Public Affairs John Martins said while testing has been steadily increasing and positive tests trended downward from February to March, positives had been rising until the week of March 29. “We certainly will be watching this trend … (but) it was good to see a drop in the percentage of positive cases this week … (and) there’s been just one positive result via swab-and-send in the last eight weeks.”

After the clinic’s first Saturday of appointments April 10, Wade said vaccine availability will dictate whether or not the clinic will stay open six days a week. She said the clinic continues to receive the Moderna vaccine only, except for the recent Johnson and Johnson allocated for priority cases. “But we can't ask for a certain type of vaccine. I would imagine if it opens up to younger children and they have more Pfizer vaccine available that there's potential we would receive (it) … (but those) who need Pfizer are being scheduled at Mid Coast. We've been working with the community helping to guide them to where to go to get their vaccinations … and it's been working very well. I worked for the organization for almost 27 years and I grew up here, so there's a lot of history and I am grateful for the opportunity to have this role and working really closely in Lincoln County with everybody.”

To schedule your vaccination appointment, call 1-877-780-7545 or go to www.mainehealth.org/vaccine