Woman’s death linked to COVID-19 outbreak at Farmington nursing home

FARMINGTON — A woman in her 80s who was connected to the COVID-19 outbreak at the Sandy River Center has died.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced her death, as well as that of a man in his 70s from Waldo County, during a news briefing Wednesday. The man’s death has been indirectly linked to the Brooks Pentecostal Church outbreak, according to the CDC.

Located on Route 133, the Sandy River Center is a nursing home and physical rehab facility with about 80 residents and 105 staff members. Fifteen people — 14 residents and one staff member — have now tested positive for COVID-19, up from eight cases on Monday. A spokeswoman for Genesis Healthcare, the Pennsylvania for-profit company that owns Sandy River, confirmed the woman who died was a resident.

Genesis also owns Marshwood Center, a Lewiston nursing home that had an outbreak this summer involving 31 residents and 17 staff members.

The Genesis spokeswoman also confirmed Wednesday that Marshwood has a new COVID-19 case. A staff member, who showed no symptoms, tested positive Oct. 28. The spokeswoman said Marshwood has retested all residents and all have come back negative. All staff were retested Wednesday.

Three area school systems have also announced cases or exposure to the virus this week.

In a notice to the community Wednesday, SAD 46/AOS 94 Superintendent Kevin T. Jordan said a person associated with Tri-County Technical Center in Dexter tested positive. That person was last in school Friday. Five students and one staff member are now in quarantine.

Administrators from RSU 78 announced Tuesday that people associated with the Rangeley Lakes Regional School had been in close contact with people who tested positive for COVID-19. The school will go fully remote Thursday and Friday. Extracurriculars are suspended until Monday.

The Mt. Blue Regional School District in Farmington reported its second case Monday. Classes at Mt. Blue Regional High School and the Foster Career and Technical Education Center went remote Monday and Tuesday after someone connected to the high school tested positive. Despite a second case, the district reopened school Wednesday. Twenty people remain in quarantine.

Maine saw its largest single day COVID-19 case count on Wednesday with 151 cases.

Morning Sentinel City Editor Greg McManus contributed to this story.