AUGUSTA, Maine — Editor's Note: The video above aired on April 19 when Maine reached a million doses administered milestone.
After seeing a dip in COVID-19 vaccine supply in the weeks following the FDA-recommended "pause" of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the state's allocation will bounce back for the week of April 26.
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) said Thursday Maine will receive an increase of 16,200 doses from the current week. The allocation will be enough first doses for 52,660 eligible Mainers. The allocation is comprised of 21,060 doses of Pfizer and 31,600 doses of Moderna, Maine DHHS said.
This reflects the doses sent to the state from the U.S. CDC and Operation Warp Speed. Maine DHHS said in addition, doses will be sent directly from the federal government to retail pharmacies and selected Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) in Maine. The number of doses sent to such facilities is typically determined at the end of the week prior to the following week’s distribution.
As of Wednesday, 1,040,860 total doses of the vaccine have been administered in Maine. Of eligible Mainers, 40.34 percent have received a final dose.
According to the Bloomberg vaccine tracker, Maine is currently leading the U.S. in the percent of its population that's fully vaccinated.
“Maine is leading the way in our COVID-19 vaccination effort and we thank all Maine people who have rolled up their sleeves to do their part,” Maine DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said in a release. “Next week, we’ll continue our focus on equity with special pop-up clinics, the Mobile Vaccination Unit’s next stop in Biddeford, and other efforts to vaccinate rural and hard-to-reach populations.”
Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said, “We are grateful for their ongoing efforts as we continue to find new ways to vaccinate Maine people quickly and equitably.”