IN COVID-19 outbreak in Maine brought back after a wedding ceremony that broke down gathering advice earlier this month has now infected more than 85 people and spread across areas – reaching both a prison and a rehabilitation center center.
© MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP / Getty
Wedding rings are pictured at the ceremony in the town hall of Briosco, about 45 km (28 miles) north of Milan, on May 11, 2020 during the lockdown of the country with the aim of limiting the spread of the COVID-19 infection. by the novel coronavirus,
In a clear example of how fast the novel coronavirus can spread, the rise in cases across the state was tied to a August 7 wedding in a church in Millinocket, which was followed by a reception at The Big Moose Inn.
“Overall, there are now 87 cases associated with this outbreak,” said Drs. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said in a virtual press release yesterday, adding that the situation could still “spiral”.
Since identifying the incident as zero, authorities trying to track the spread of the virus have found that it is circulating far beyond the local community.
“The 87 does not only include those who attend meetings … in Millinocket, the wedding and the reception, it also includes nine cases at Maple Crest Rehabilitation Center in Madison, as well as cases related to York County Jail, “Shah said.
“Because we have identified an epidemiological link between and among all these cases, they form a single outbreak, although the scale of that outbreak has changed and it looks different in different parts of the state,” he added.
Officials say the probe is continuing after the couple was married, but the focus for now is on trying to limit the spread of the unholy coronavirus.
“What concerns me … is the fact that the number of individuals who were affected by that initial setting was higher than we would have expected,” Shah said.
“It simply came to our notice then Penobscot Province by those present, and when they came together it was a kind of a powder keg that gave sparks, and generated a higher than expected number of cases. “
The expert said: “It can spiral. That’s what concerns me now. That 80-plus cases can grow and grow and grow. That’s a risk now.”
Of the 87 cases, 30 were primary-people who were directly present at the event. There were 35 secondary cases – contacts of those who participated – and 22 tertiary cases, which are people who were in contact with a secondary case, the director explained.
He said 59 of the people had been symptomatic. Nine cases linked to the marriage were followed to the Maple Crest Rehabilitation facility, while 18 more cases were identified as being found in the York County Jail complex through an employee.
Click to expand
FOLLOWING
The CDC director said there are two factors that have the potential for an outbreak of the COVID-19 respiratory disease: the duration and density of an event.
He added: “What we saw here was an event, a wedding and then a reception, so a long-term event with a considerable number of individuals, greater than the 50 allowed … if we combine those two factors see … we see the potential for outbreaks. “
According to NECN, the Big Moose Inn has meanwhile suspended its business licenses and was given a “threatening quote for health hazard” last week.
There are now more than 3,900 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maine, with the virus linked to 132 deaths. Health experts have reported an additional 453 likely cases.
Shah said that testing is key: “Our position is that you do not stop the team in the middle of the storm you keep plowing. Or, in this setting, you keep testing. “
Start your unlimited trial with Newsweek
Continue reading
