AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine CDC is continuing its outbreak investigations, including those that are linked to the Aug 7. wedding and reception in Millinocket.
The wedding was held at the Tri-Town Baptist Church. The reception was held at the Big Moose Inn.
Two deaths of people with COVID-19 have now been linked to the wedding, the latest being the death of a man in his 70s from Somerset County whose death was announced Wednesday.
Outbreaks at the York County Jail and the Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center in Madison have all been linked to the wedding. The Maine CDC is also continuing its epidemiological investigation into the outbreak at the Calvary Baptist Church in Sanford, including determining the extent of the links to other outbreaks in York and Penobscot counties.
As of Friday, Maine CDC reported 147 total cases linked to the Millinocket wedding. Included in the 147 are the cases at the York County Jail and the Maplecrest Rehabilitation Center.
York County Jail
York County on Thursday announced a comprehensive inquiry into the COVID-19 outbreak at the York County Jail, where there are 72 total positive cases as of Friday.
Of the 72 cases, 46 are among inmates, 18 are among staff—16 corrections officers and two administrators—one is an outside vendor, and 17 cases are among affected household members of people who work in the building.
Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said a staff member of the York County Jail attended the wedding and reception in Millinocket. According to Dr. Shah, that staff member was one of the first confirmed cases at the jail.
Calvary Baptist Church
At the Calvary Baptist Church in Sanford—the latest outbreak that is possibly linked to the wedding—there are ten total cases; five new cases were identified in Thursday's update.
Pastor Todd Bell is the pastor at the church and he officiated the wedding. The Maine CDC says at this time, the church outbreak investigation has not been epidemiologically linked to any other outbreak investigations.
“We’re still investigating if there are any linkages among them. We have some hypotheses but as with any scientific endeavor, we’ve got to have more than just reports and unconfirmed notions," Dr. Shah said Tuesday. "We’ve got to make sure we’re getting it from primary, verified sources. So until we’ve secured that and validated it I don’t want to comment. But we do have some hypotheses that we’re looking into that would connect them.”
Despite the outbreak, the church held normal services on Sunday.
At the service on Sunday, Pastor Bell referenced the wedding in Millinocket.
"I went to the wedding. I officiated the wedding. It was a beautiful wedding," Pastor Bell said to his congregation. "Six families from our church went there. We never expected to get COVID. Nobody expected to experience the things that happened because you went to a beautiful thing like that."
Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center
There are now 19 cases at the Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center in Madison - eight among residents and 11 among staff. The Maine CDC previously linked this outbreak to the wedding outbreak. Investigations are underway to determine if the additional cases associated with those outbreaks are also linked to the wedding and reception outbreak.
RELATED: Maine CDC: COVID-19 outbreaks in Madison and York County are linked to Millinocket wedding/reception
Millinocket wedding
The Maine CDC has not identified any new primary cases associated with the outbreak related to the Aug. 7 wedding and reception in the Millinocket region. As of Thursday, Maine CDC reported 147 total cases linked to the Millinocket wedding. Included in the 147 are the cases at the York County Jail and the Maplecrest Rehabilitation Center.
Two people with COVID-19 have died who have been associated with the wedding.