Outbreak: 20 Test Positive for COVID-19 at Hope House in Bangor

The Maine CDC reported Wednesday that 20 people have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Hope House in Bangor.

Penobscot Community Health Care released more information even as Dr. Nirav Shah of the Maine CDC revealed the totals during Wednesday's press briefing.

The Maine CDC confirmed 16 new cases on Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of positive cases for Hope House guests and staff to 20. The 16 cases were not included in today's Maine CDC statistics, but will be included in tomorrow's total.

• The first two positive results were confirmed last week, and a third person tested positive earlier this week, officially making it an outbreak at the shelter.
• All guests who have visited Hope House in the past two weeks were tested, as well as members of the facility's staff. Roughly 100 tests were conducted Monday afternoon, with 12 of them coming back as positive on Wednesday morning, as well as an additional positive result from testing done prior to knowledge of the outbreak.
• Tuesday morning, health officials tested 49 more individuals with four tests coming back positive. PCHC is still awaiting results from 23 tests sent out on Tuesday.
• All guests who have tested positive have been isolated from other guests and are recovering.

Lori Dwyer, President & CEO of PCHC says their priority at Hope House is to protect the 'safety, security, and privacy, of the people who have accessed their many services: "Like all of us in this historic time, the individuals we serve are frightened and want to do what they can to protect themselves and their community, and our role is to give them tools and resources so they can do that."

Hope House is an agency of PCHC that offers a variety of services to Bangor's homeless population, including a shelter, health services, and transitional housing.

You may view Wendesday's MCDC news conference below: