The director of the Maine CDC says his agency has received reports of a total of four adverse events from people who have received either the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
Dr. Nirav Shah says the individuals had allergic reactions of varying degrees of severity, but all have recovered and are doing fine.
“What gives me confidence in the vaccine, as well as in the system, is that we are aware of these, we are receiving reports of them. And the system to monitor for them, find them, and take action upon them is working as intended,” he says.
Nearly 24,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in Maine. Shah says that’s more than the total number of people who have tested positive for the disease in Maine since the beginning of the pandemic.
“There is still of course a long road ahead of us with respect to COVID-19,” he says.
Maine’s positivity rate has increased by nearly a full percentage point in the past two weeks, to 5.4 percent. Hospitalizations also remain high, with 177 people receiving inpatient care, 48 in critical care and 19 on ventilators.
Nearly 600 COVID-19 cases were added to the state’s total for a second day. And another person has died, bringing the pandemic’s death toll in Maine to 334.
Maine Public reporter Willis Ryder Arnold contributed to this story.
