LEWISTON, Maine — Editor's Note: The above video aired on Friday, Dec. 18.
The second vaccine in the U.S. arsenal to fight the coronavirus arrived in Maine Monday morning, bringing 600 additional doses to the state for frontline health care workers. Sixty vials of the Moderna vaccine, which was approved Friday by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization, were delivered to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.
Following the news of its FDA approval on Friday, Gov. Janet Mills said it was “another victory for science and another step forward in the fight to vaccinate as many Maine people against COVID-19 as quickly, equitably, and efficiently as possible.”
“Maine CDC, in conjunction with Federal officials and our health partners across the state, have been preparing for this moment and are ready to receive Moderna’s vaccine in the coming days and ensure it gets to front line hospital, EMS, and home health care professionals who are working day and night to take care of Maine people,” Mills said in a statement Friday. “While this is welcome news, the important work of vaccinating many more Maine people will take many months, which is why it is critical that in the meantime we continue to take the steps necessary to protect our health and that of our loved ones: wear our masks, watch our distance, avoid gatherings, and wash our hands often.”
Central Maine Healthcare Chief Medical Officer John Alexander, MD, MHCM, FACEP, said they expect to start administering the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday at all three of their campuses– Central Maine Medical Center, Bridgton Hospital, and Rumford Hospital.
"The arrival of the coronavirus vaccine brought a lot of joy and hope to Central Maine Healthcare team members who have been working tirelessly and heroically through these long months of the pandemic," Alexander said in a release Monday.
Alexander said since Central Maine Healthcare's soft launch with the initial shipment of the Pfizer vaccine last Wednesday, they have vaccinated more than 550 team members and expect to finish their initial supply of the Pfizer vaccine Monday.
"[T]he delivery of the Moderna vaccine will allow us to keep the momentum going without interruption," he said.
All of the vaccine doses received now is for healthcare workers, Alexander said.
"The sequence in which team members are offered the vaccine was determined in line with the considerations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices," he explained. "We looked at which roles were at greatest risk of exposure by examining which ones involved direct contact with patients, handling of infectious material, and whether they were in inpatient or outpatient settings. For this first month of vaccine administration, we are focusing our vaccination efforts towards team members who care for inpatients."
The VA Maine Healthcare System said in a release Monday afternoon they will begin COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna vaccine Monday.
“VA Maine is eager to offer the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and community living center residents,” Medical Center Director Tracye B. Davis said in a release. “Receiving the vaccine is like having hope delivered. As vaccine supplies increase, our ultimate goal is to offer COVID-19 vaccination to all veterans and employees who want to be vaccinated.”
VA Maine Healthcare System is one of 113 VA Medical Centers across the country to receive the first limited supply of the Moderna vaccine. Sites were identified based on the need for the vaccine according to CDC’s 1A prioritization and capacity to store the vaccine at -20◦C.
Last Monday, the first Mainer was vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine at Maine Medical Center in Portland, along with 150 MaineHealth caregivers.
In addition to orders for the Pfizer vaccine, Maine ordered 24,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine. The two vaccines are very similar and work “better than we almost dared to hope,” NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins told The Associated Press. “Science is working here, science has done something amazing.”
Early results of large, still unfinished studies show both vaccines appear safe and strongly protective although Moderna’s is easier to handle since it doesn’t need to be stored at ultra-frozen temperatures.
The Moderna vaccine does not require extreme cold storage, in contrast to the Pfizer vaccine. Dr. Shah said that will be a real advantage for rural hospitals, which often don’t have the equipment to keep a vaccine at -90 degrees.
Altogether, Maine expects to receive enough vaccine for 45,650 people in the first two weeks of the distribution.
Cumulatively across the state, as of Monday, there are at least 4,682 individuals who have been vaccinated with their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said Monday during the coronavirus briefing.
Shah said that number is a little bit low because the administration of the vaccine is ongoing. In addition to that, Shah said the Maine CDC is aware that one institution has had a challenge with getting their data uploaded to the Maine CDC system. So, the number of 4,682 is "undoubtedly an estimate." But for now, that's the firm number the Maine CDC can confirm at this point.
Shah said the remaining shipments of the first order of the Moderna vaccine should be arriving at health care facilities by Tuesday.
The last-minute change from Operation Warp Speed to week two of the Pfizer vaccine allocation means Maine will not receive enough of the required minimum of 10,725 doses to fully launch the retail pharmacy program to vaccinate residents and staff of all long-term care facilities in Maine.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will still allocate 3,900 doses this week to continue the skilled nursing facility part of this program but must delay the program for assisted living facilities and other residential care facilities.
Shah announced Monday that the first individuals under the retail pharmacy partnership received their COVID-19 vaccines on Monday.
The partnership entails the state committing a certain number of doses and working with pharmacies and long-term care facilities to get vaccinators into those facilities to vaccinate both the residents and staff.
Residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities continue to be vaccinated this week, while vaccination at the other long-term care facilities is now expected to begin after the originally planned start date of December 28, 2020.
The retail pharmacy program is operated by the U.S. CDC and retail pharmacies. Maine DHHS allocates doses to the program but does not play a direct role in distribution of those vaccines to long-term care facilities.
The remaining 4,875 doses of the Pfizer vaccine for this week will go to hospitals. This is an increase from the 2,295 doses originally planned, resulting from the change to the Pfizer allotment.
Maine Medical Center, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, and MaineGeneral will receive these doses, with some redistribution across hospitals to ensure that critical workers across the state have access to the vaccine.