AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) announced the state has placed its first order for the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson single-shot COVID-19 vaccine.
The first order for 11,500 doses is expected to arrive alongside the previously ordered 39,060 first doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine as part of Week 12 of the vaccine effort.
In addition, the Maine CDC learned Sunday that the federal government will supplement the state allotment by sending an additional 3,500 Johnson & Johnson doses to another Maine entity, which will be announced at a later time.
Maine DHHS said another 1,000 doses of Moderna vaccine will be sent to Penobscot Community Health Care, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that is vaccinating underserved populations.
In total, 55,060 Pfizer and Moderna first doses and, in the case of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, only doses will arrive in Maine this week – more than double the doses available two weeks ago. This does not count the second doses of Pfizer and Moderna vaccine that are also arriving, Maine DHHS said.
Gov. Janet Mills, Maine DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew, and Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Nirav D. Shah welcomed the news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for emergency use over the weekend.
“The authorization of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is another step forward in our fight against the pandemic and comes at the right time as we expand eligibility to those 60 and older next week,” Mills said in a statement over the weekend. “As soon as we receive our allotment, we will work with health care providers to get these vaccines into the arms of Maine people as quickly and as efficiently as possible. My most fundamental goal is to save lives, and this new, one-shot vaccine will help us accomplish that. Today, I am grateful to scientists who made this breakthrough possible and to Maine people who continue to do their part to stem the tide on this pandemic by wearing their masks, watching their distance, and avoiding large gatherings.”
"We are committed to using this new vaccine supply quickly to protect those most at risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19 in Maine," Lambrew said in a statement Monday. "The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine opens new doors to doing so."
“The FDA’s emergency authorization of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine expands vaccination options for Maine people," Shah said in a statement. "Because it’s fully effective with one shot and does not require ultracold storage, some of the challenges we faced when previous vaccines were approved will not be a factor as we distribute this vaccine to sites throughout Maine.”
DHHS and Maine CDC expect to distribute the 11,500 Johnson & Johnson doses to hospitals, independent pharmacies, emergency medical services, and outpatient groups.
According to the governor's office, "These doses will allow emergency medical services to stand up new clinics in York County, allow Redington Fairview Hospital in Farmington to expand access in Somerset County, and allow coalitions of health care providers to vaccinate older Mainers in Washington, Aroostook, and northern Penobscot counties."
Compared to the week of February 15, clinics will be able to nearly double the number of Maine people who can get their first or, in the case of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, only dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
When taken with previous orders, and when combined with doses provided through the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, Maine expects to have enough vaccine to vaccinate approximately 291,055 people in the first 12 weeks of distribution."
As of February 28, 349,840 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have been given to health care workers, long-term care residents and staff, and older Mainers, including 228,274 people – or 16.98 percent of Maine residents – who have received first doses and 121,566 people who have received second doses. Sixty-six percent of Maine residents age 70 and older have been vaccinated. For additional information on Maine’s progress in vaccinating people, visit the COVID-19 vaccination dashboard.
RELATED: Maine adopts age-based COVID-19 vaccine strategy, those age 60+ eligible starting next week
The FDA’s authorization comes after Mills announced that Maine residents age 60 and older are eligible for vaccination beginning March 3, 2021. The rest of the age-based rollout is expected to follow this schedule:
- March 3: Eligibility expands to residents age 60 and older
- April: Eligibility expands to age 50 and older
- May: Eligibility expands to age 40 and older
- June: Eligibility expands to age 30 and older
- July and beyond: Ages 29 and under, including children pending authorization of a vaccine for them