Maine CDC director pleads for patience on testing as statewide coronavirus case count hits 107 - Press Herald

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Maine now has 107 cases of coronavirus, an increase of 18 since Sunday, and 12 people are hospitalized, while 2,700 have been tested.

Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, announced the new case figures Monday at a briefing where he also reviewed Maine’s urgent requests for additional personal protective equipment and testing supplies.

On personal protective equipment, Shah said the state will be sending out almost 22,000 pieces Monday to health care facilities, including 2,500 N95 masks and almost 6,000 gloves. But he said “the amount of (personal protective equipment) we need does not match what we are receiving” from the federal government.

He asked Mainers to “bear with us” on getting test results and having tests given more widely. He said there’s a major bottleneck in testing volumes because of a nationwide shortage of a chemical required for the testing process. He said the Maine CDC lab is looking into getting a different type of equipment that uses a chemical which is not in short supply.

Maine’s labs are following federal CDC guidelines to prioritize the most pressing cases, such as those who are hospitalized, Shah said. Because of that, others are waiting. “I recognize that wait time causes anxiety and causes frustration,” he said, but added, “I ask that you bear with me.”

Shah said state officials have considered regional steps to limit public movement beyond those already taken by Gov. Janet Mills, such as a “stay at home” order for Cumberland County, where about half of all cases have been reported. But he said those limits had to be weighed against the impacts on other activities. Shah noted that there’s a blood shortage that could affect people who need medical care, for example, and that ordering residents to stay inside would worsen that situation.

Asked to comment on a test results backlog, Shah said it was important to focus limited test supplies on priority groups, such as health care workers, so that they don’t become sick and can continue treating patients, as well as people who are hospitalized, so that doctors can make decisions about their treatment.

He said it is still up to doctors and other clinicians whether to request a test for someone with mild symptoms.

This story will be updated.

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