A total of 49 cases at Brooks Pentecostal Church in Wildo County have been linked to the spread of the disease, Dr. Nirav Shah, chairman of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told a news conference Thursday.
“We expect that number to increase in the coming days,” Shah said.
Seven of the cases are linked to a church-affiliated school lighthouse Christian Academy on a property in the town of Brooks.
The pastor of the church on Facebook expressed grief over the outbreak.
The MW show added that church officials were taking quarantine measures before announcing the first positive test.
“Although the origin of the virus is unclear, we will heed all recommendations and guidelines provided to us by the CDC,” the show wrote. “Our church will address our continuum of worship in a safe and orderly manner.”
CNN Reached for church comment, but not heard back.
Shah said a case has also erupted at Beau Manor, a residential care facility in nearby Searsport. That person is a staff member and investigators are trying to determine if a virus transmission has occurred at the facility.
Chad Clutier, CEO of facility operator operator DLTC Healthcare, denied any involvement in the outbreak and said the facility investigated all residents and employees immediately after the employee reported a positive test. All results came back negative, Clutter said.
Three primary schools are under investigation as part of the outbreak. Shah said the state was not yet aware of any transmission cases involving these schools.
Shah insisted that schools and facilities are not bursting within themselves, but there are people who have tested positive as part of the outbreak, who have kept “involvement” with them.
Officials are monitoring members of other churches and Bible college leagues where people attending a fellowship event earlier this month could be infected.
About 100 to 150 people were present at the event, Shah said.
He urged residents to test if they have served at Brooks Pentecostal church or come into contact with anyone.
The state health department is working closely with church and school officials to identify more cases and will expand testing in the county, Shah said. Walldo County has about 40,000 residents, of whom 1,100 live in Brooks.
CNN has reached out to Maine CDC for additional comments.
CNN’s Anna Sturla and Julian Cummings contributed to the report.
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