Pickup Football Game Linked to Sanford High School COVID-19 Outbreak

It Tuesday's Maine CDC briefing, Dr. Nirav Shah reported that they have opened an investigation into a COVID-19 outbreak at Sanford High School that they have linked to gatherings from outside the school. This is the first outbreak investigation that the Maine CDC has opened into a public school which currently has 12 cases of COVID-19 associated with the outbreak.

The Maine CDC has identified a potential route of transmission that may have occurred at pick up football game on September 16 and a sunrise gathering of seniors that occurred around that same time.

Sanford Schools Superintendent Matthew Nelson moved all learning to remote only last week once the first cases of COVID-19 were discovered. "Nevertheless, this is a good opportunity and a good illustration of the fact that there can still be a risk of COVID-19, even when schools have moved to remote education," said Shah. "Out of school gatherings matter just as much as in school gatherings."

The latest numbers released Tuesday by the Maine CDC show that the cumulative number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Maine is now at 5,146, an increase of 40 since Monday with 52% of those in York County. 4,617 of those cases are confirmed while 529 are deemed probable.

There were no new deaths reported of an individual with COVID-19, keeping the total at 140. 442 patients have had to be hospitalized at some point. 17 are currently hospitalized with 4 in critical care and no patients are on a ventilator.

4,384 people diagnosed with COVID-19 have recovered, an increase of 23 since Monday. The total number of diagnosed active cases of COVID-19 is 599, an increase of 17. The cumulative number of COVID-19 negative tests is 384,303 with a 14-day positivity rate of 0.5%.

The Maine CDC has determined that there are 177 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths of an individual with COVID-19 associated with a wedding with around 65 guests at the Big Moose Inn in Millinocket on August 7. That wedding reception outbreak is linked to an outbreak at the York County Jail where 82 cases have been reported.

Governor Mills has extended the State of Emergency in Maine through October 1, 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.