Wednesday is the first day that people 60 and older in Maine are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. And many are receiving doses at the Cross Insurance Center clinic in Bangor, says Dr. James Jarvis of Northern Light Health.
“I can tell you that a large percentage of the individuals that are here today are in that category of 60-70,” he says.
Roughly a third of Mainers 70 and older still need to get a first dose of the vaccine. State health officials have said they want overlap between age groups to prevent any slowdown in vaccination efforts.
Northern Light Health says an overwhelming number of people have responded a call for volunteers to help with COVID-19 vaccination efforts.
Senior Vice President Paul Bolin says more than 1,500 people with nonclinical experience have stepped up, but the health system needs more volunteer doctors, nurses and others who are qualified to administer the vaccine.
“So that as our needs unfold in the coming weeks, as we receive more doses of vaccine, we’re able to accommodate that and are prepared well in advance,” he says.
Maine’s supply of the COVID-19 vaccine has more than doubled in recent weeks. President Joe Biden announced this week that the U.S. would have enough supply to vaccinate all adults by the end of May.
A new COVID-19 vaccine clinic opened at the Maine Mall on Wednesday in the former Pier 1 Imports store. Officials at Northern Light Health say about 70 people were scheduled to get doses.
Two other vaccine clinics have opened this week in southern Maine: one at the Portland Expo and the other in the former Marshalls store on Main Street in Sanford. Those clinics have the capacity to vaccinate about 1,000 people per day.
More than 45,000 cases of COVID-19 have now been identified in the state since the pandemic began, including 147 new cases recorded by The Maine Center for Disease Control on Wednesday.
And two more people with the disease have died, bringing the death toll in the state up to 705.
The Maine CDC’s briefing on the pandemic is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday. Maine Public will bring that to you live.
