Maine’s top public health official says the state is considering scaling back investigations into cases of COVID-19 to focus on the most vulnerable populations, as some other states have already done.
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Nirav Shah warned Friday that “continued sustained ferocious levels of community transmission” is prompting the discussion.
The Portland Press Herald reports Shah said his team will evaluate possible changes over the weekend and make an announcement Monday.
“For now, I wanted Maine people to hear from me directly about the situation we’re in and the difficult choices we’re facing,” he said Friday.
Shah said the state opened investigations into 14 new outbreaks on Thursday and Friday, possibly tied to gatherings over Thanksgiving.
“Things were already acute before and now are becoming more so,” Shah said. “I fear that this may sadly be our new normal, and even worse, I expect it to get worse, perhaps even far worse.”
