A Maine hospital saw a resurgence of coronavirus cases after months without a positive COVID-19 test after visitors to Acadia National Park learned they tested positive during a trip to the Pine Tree State.
“After several months without a positive COVID-19 test result, Mount Desert Island Hospital has resulted in three new cases in the last week and counseled others who have received a positive test result from another location," Mount Desert Island Hospital, which serves the Bar Harbor community, including Acadia National Park, said on its website Friday.
"To date, we have received positive results for three Hancock County residents and five others.
“We are receiving calls from visitors (both tourists and family members of area residents) who were tested before traveling and only received positive results after their arrival here, and these visitors’ test results are not captured by current reporting requirements.”.
"To address this, MDI Hospital’s COVID-19 team is providing counseling and contact tracing assistance when we receive these calls — but there is currently no mechanism to alert us when a positive result is received by a visitor in our community if they do not reach out to us," according to the hospital's statement.
The hospital system said it is now conducting workforce testing on asymptomatic “front-facing” tourism employees to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
“The goal of the program is to detect any potential COVID-19 outbreaks as early as possible, which will not only protect front-facing tourism employees but help limit exposure for the entire community," the hospital said, adding that “any positive results from this pilot will be included in the case count on our website.”.
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