AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said Thursday that the state is set to receive enough first doses—and final doses in the case of Johnson & Johnson's single-shot vaccine—next week to vaccinate 35,190 people.
The allotment for the 15th week of distribution in Maine will be an increase of 1,170 doses compared to this week, and that doesn't include the doses sent directly to certain pharmacies and clinics from the federal government.
Next week's order will be comprised of:
- 19,890 doses from Pfizer
- 13,700 doses from Moderna
- 1,600 doses from Johnson & Johnson
Maine DHHS notes these numbers do not reflect the second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which are distributed through a separate process.
The number of doses sent directly from the federal government to Walmart/Sam's Club pharmacies, Walgreens pharmacies, Hannaford pharmacies, and other federally qualified health centers is typically determined at the end of the week before the following week's distribution and is not yet available.
Here's a breakdown of next week's distribution:
Maine DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said next week's allotment will allow the state to continue working to vaccinate Maine's older population and those who may struggle to get vaccinated, such as people who are new residents of nursing homes, people who are homebound, and those are on MaineCare.
"We continue to make progress in vaccinating Maine residents who are most at risk of dying or suffering severe symptoms of COVID-19," Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said in a release. “As our federal partners work toward increasing weekly allocations to a point when more Maine people can be vaccinated each week, we can keep each other safe by wearing masks in public, washing hands often, and physical distancing.”
Mainers age 60 and older, as well as residents who are educators, school staff, and child care workers are currently eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Under Maine's accelerated vaccination plan, eligibility is set to expand to those age 50 and older on April 1.
As of March 17, 545,102 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine have administered in Maine, including 341,842 people who have received first doses and 203,260 people who have received second doses of Moderna and Pfizer or single doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines.