PORTLAND, Maine (AP) Maine has gotten rid of a testing prioritization system and is now letting health care providers test anyone suspected of having the new coronavirus, state officials said Monday.
Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said the state’s increase in testing capacity means the prioritization system is no longer needed. Mills called the change “a welcome step forward for Maine,” which has had a virus caseload than much of the Northeast, but had also been held back by lack of access to testing.
“Because of this expanded capacity, health care providers in Maine will now be able to get results quickly for a lot more patients, including individuals who might not be exhibiting symptoms but who had close contact with confirmed cases,” said Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC.
The prioritization system was a tiered system that Maine and other states used because of limited supply of tests. The system made testing more readily available to high-risk individuals.
Mills said the state still needs to further increase its testing capacity.
