Millinocket Wedding Linked To Outbreak at York County Jail

In today's Maine CDC online briefing, Dr. Nirav Shah went through how guests at a wedding in Millinocket quickly spread COVID-19 all the way to York County.

As of today, the CDC has determined that there are 60 cases of COVID-19 associated with a wedding reception with around 65 guests at the Big Moose Inn in Millinocket on August 7. 22 of those cases are primary cases of individuals who attended the reception. 14 cases are secondary, which are individuals who had close contact with someone who was at the reception and 24 cases are tertiary, individuals who were in close contact with a someone who was a secondary contact.

Part of the 60 total cases associated with the wedding reception are at the Maple Crest Rehabilitation Center in Maidson, which has had an outbreak of six COVID-19 cases. Dr. Shah noted how quickly the virus can spread by detailing how it moved from one person to another to reach the rehabilitation center. "A guest who attended the wedding on August 7 infected their parent," Shah explained. "The parent then had contact with another one of their children. That child, that person, works at Maple Crest and infected 5 people at Maple Crest. Four residents and one additional staff member, and all of this unfolded in approximately two and a half weeks. That's just an example of how quickly this virus can spread."

Shah went on to report that today, Maine CCD disease detectives identified a connection between the Millinocket wedding reception and the current outbreak of 17 cases at the York County Jail. A staff member of the York County Jail attended the wedding in Millinocket and was among the very first cases confirmed at the jail. "These recent examples are restaurant quality pieces of information that demonstrate how aggressive and how opportunistic this virus is," said Shah. "And how quickly it can move from one community to another."

The latest numbers released Tuesday by the Maine CDC, show that the cumulative number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Maine is now at 4368, an increase of 12 since Monday. 3,919 of those cases are confirmed while 449 are deemed probable.

There were no new deaths reported of an individual with COVID-19, keeping the total at 131. 409 patients have had to be hospitalized at some point. 8 are currently hospitalized with 5 in critical care and 1 patient is on a ventilator.

3,784 people diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered, an increase of 22 since Monday. The total number of diagnosed active cases of COVID-19 is 453, a decrease of 10 since Monday. The cumulative number of COVID-19 negative tests is 240,105 with a 14-day positivity rate of 0.6%.

Governor Mills has extended the State of Emergency in Maine through September 8, allowing Maine to continue to receive federal funding and use available resources to respond to COVID-19.

An executive order remains in place requiring large retail stores, lodging, restaurants, outdoor bars and tasting rooms in coastal counties and Maine's largest cities to enforce the state's face covering requirement.

The counties where businesses are be required to enforce the face covering requirement are Hancock, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Cumberland and York as well as the more populated inland cities Bangor/Brewer and Lewiston/Auburn.

You can view the full list of businesses and read the guidelines for each on The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development's website.

If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, including a runny nose, sore throat, dry cough, fever and in severe cases, difficulty breathing, the Maine CDC says you should call your doctor before going in so that they can prepare for your arrival. The Maine CDC continues to update with new information daily. Keep checking on our mobile app or website to get the latest.