Maine wedding linked to 143 COVID-19 cases, 1 death

ALFRED, Maine – The number of coronavirus cases linked to an outbreak at a jail continued to climb Wednesday as authorities reported more results from universal testing of inmates and employees.

Public health investigators have linked the jail outbreak to a broader outbreak involving an Aug. 7 wedding in the Millinocket area.

One guest who tested positive after attending the wedding works at the York County Jail, said Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah.

York County Sheriff William L. King Jr. said Wednesday that there are 46 cases among inmates, 19 among corrections officers, two among workers elsewhere in the York County government building and one support staffer assigned to the jail.

That’s a total of 68 cases among those who are incarcerated at the jail and those who work there, King said.

The jail employs 44 officers and houses 116 inmates, he said.

Earlier that day, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced 17 cases among people who live in a household with one or more of jail workers.

Investigators have also linked the wedding to an outbreak at the Maplecrest Rehabilitation and Living Center in Madison, where there are now 13 cases, including seven residents and six staff, Maine CDC spokesperson Robert Long said Wednesday.

Although officials have linked the York County Jail and Maplecrest outbreaks to the Aug. 7 wedding, investigators are still working to determine how many of the additional cases are also linked to the wedding, Long said.

There are now 143 cases linked to the wedding, including one person who died, Long said.

Maine CDC is also investigating an outbreak among those affiliated with Calvary Baptist Church in Sanford.

The total number of cases identified related to the church is still five, Long said.

Investigators are still trying to determine the extent of any possible connection between the church and other outbreaks in York and Penobscot counties, he said.

The church’s pastor, Todd Bell, who officiated the Aug. 7 wedding, said during a church service Sunday morning that all five people who tested positive are now out of quarantine and “doing fairly well.”