AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine CDC said Friday that a second elderly housing facility—a rehab center in Augusta—is reporting cases of the coronavirus, COVID-19. At the same time, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said problems at the Tall Pines elderly facility in Belfast appear to be getting worse.
On Thursday, the CDC said there had been a sudden spike in cases at Tall Pines, with 10 residents and 3 staff members testing positive. On Friday, Dr. Shah announced the numbers had nearly doubled.
“At present, there are 22 cases at Tall Pines. Yesterday CDC staff delivered there days worth of PPE (personal protective equipment, such as gloves and masks) and are now trying to get them a larger order. We have tested everyone in the facility for COVID-19, Now we are analyzing results. And we are working very closely with the facility.”
Shah was joined at the daily briefing Friday by Governor Janet Mills, who was there, she said, primarily to provide encouragement to Mainers discouraged by widespread power outages at the same time they’re sheltered at home, dealing with the virus
“Continue to stay at home to beat this virus,” said the Governor. “Be kind, love one another.”
As for the power outage, Mills said she has ordered the Maine Emergency Management Agency to work with the power companies to make hospitals, other health care facilities and grocery stores the top priority for restoring power.
At NEWS CENTER Maine, we're focusing our news coverage on the facts and not the fear around the illness. To see our full coverage, visit our coronavirus section, here: /coronavirus