ROCKPORT — Two doctors at Pen Bay Medical Center have tested positive for COVID-19, the hospital announced Saturday.
Before testing positive, the providers had minimal contact with patients, the hospital said. As symptoms developed, they followed established guidelines by self-isolating and were tested. The symptoms in both providers were and continue to be mild, the hospital said.
“Our priority continues to be ensuring the safety and well-being of our care team members while delivering the highest level of care to those who need it,” said Dr. Mark Fourre, president of Pen Bay Medical Center and Waldo County General Hospital.
“We are in the investigatory phase of this case, actively tracing all patient/colleague interactions per CDC guidelines,” he added. “We continue to take a high level of precaution, guided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to protect our workforce and our community.”
Fourre said that any patients who may have been put at risk will be contacted by the hospital.
The number of Maine residents with COVID-19 jumped to 211 on Saturday, the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced.
That was up from 168 on Friday. Thirty-six of those Mainers diagnosed are health care workers, Maine CDC’s director, Dr. Nirav Shah, said at a news briefing Saturday.
The number of Knox County residents confirmed with the virus remained at two, according to the Maine CDC.
Pen Bay Medical Center said in a statement Friday afternoon that it had had its first in-patient with the virus. The person required only a brief hospitalization and has since been discharged to home.
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