The Maine CDC is tracking a COVID-19 outbreak among Sanford firefighters, in an investigation that has expanded to include other nearby fire departments.
The CDC says it has confirmed three cases among the Sanford crew, as well as one other first responder in York County. The CDC says it is also testing members of the Buxton and Saco fire departments after learning that first responders from Sanford and elsewhere who tested positive had interacted recently with those agencies.
Eric Beecher, president of the Sanford Firefighters Association, says after three firefighters were diagnosed with the disease last week, the city sought expedited, universal testing of the department’s 47 members through the CDC.
Two days went by before the first batch of results became available, Beecher says, and 10 more samples taken on Friday had yet to yield results as of Monday morning.
“We are trying to do the right thing to get ahead of this to keep the entire community and visitors to the city of Sanford as safe as possible, and our families and ourselves. And to wait 72 hours and still not have the definitive answer on whether people are infected with this, that’s just frustrating and disappointing,” he says.
Late this afternoon a CDC spokesman said the agency is “looking into” the delayed results. Beecher says all of the department’s workers are wearing personal protection equipment full-time, while the infected firefighters are self-quarantining.
Updated 5:02 p.m. Monday, Aug. 24, with comment from Maine CDC.
