The number of confirmed and presumptive positive test results for the coronavirus in Maine more than doubled Sunday.
The Maine Center for Disease Control said there are five new presumptive positive tests, and with other sample tests confirmed Maine now has seven confirmed cases.
The new presumptive positive test cases include the first person under 18 reported. They are a Cumberland County resident who is isolating at home.
Another test result came from a male resident in his 80s at Oceanview, a Falmouth senior living community. Maine CDC is instructing Oceanview to being symptom checks on all residents immediately.
Another presumptive positive test result is a woman in her 30s who is a health care worker in Lincoln County. She is isolated at home and her employer has been contacted by the Maine CDC about steps to reduce exposure to patients, staff and other community members.
A Cumberland County woman in her 70s is isolated at home after her presumptive positive test.
A Cumberland County man in his 40s is also isolating at home.
Oceanview released a statement Sunday afternoon, saying, “One resident is under their doctor’s care at Maine Medical Center and the other is recuperating at home. Due to HIPAA regulations we are prohibited from providing any additional details as it pertains to our community members. As it pertains to the community as a whole, at the CDC’s direction we’ve identified all staff and residents who would have come in contact with these residents. We are confident we’ve identified everyone since we have documentation protocols to ensure we have a record of campus activities.”
The Maine CDC announced a change in how it’s testing will be classified. The US CDC will no longer requires the state’s Health and Environmental Testing Lab to send samples from presumptive positive tests to the federal lab for confirmation. This means state test results will be considered confirmed cases.
The lab is receiving samples and performing tests daily.