PORTLAND, Maine — Retail pharmacies in Maine administering the COVID-19 vaccine will open appointments to those age 50 and older starting Thursday, April 1.
Federal Retail Pharmacy Program partners are required to prioritize teachers, school staff, and child care workers through March 31 under a President Joe Biden directive.
Monday, a Maine CDC spokesperson said the 47 Walgreens, 24 Walmart and Sam's Clubs, and 35 Hannaford locations across the state will receive 23,370 doses of Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson doses for the week of March 29, which he said was an increase from previous weeks.
"The direct allotments from the federal government to the pharmacy program had been increasing slightly each week since early in the program. But the allotment for this week almost doubles what the pharmacies received last week," spokesperson Robert Long said in a statement.
Those doses are separate from what the Maine CDC received from the federal government to distribute to hospitals, clinics, EMS units, and other entities around the state.
Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said Johnson & Johnson doses will likely make up Maine's largest increases in supply over the next three weeks.
Maine retail pharmacies are relying on those increases to vaccinate people in some hard-to-reach locations.
"We chose deliberately. We looked for areas of the state where those outposts were adding something. They weren't taking away or competing with existing sites, but rather adding something to the area," Shah said during last Thursday's media briefing.
With appointments at these pharmacies set to open to more than just teachers on April 1, followed by Maine people age 16 and older on April 19, the increases in supply are needed to increase vaccination efforts.
"I think in that respect it'll be helpful in broadening access," Shah said Thursday during the briefing. "We're thinking about what other partners we can bring on to broaden access to the vaccine to as many places in the state."
It is unclear what pharmacy chain the Maine CDC may activate next. CVS is giving the vaccine in 29 states, including every New England state except Maine and New Hampshire.