MOUNT DESERT, Maine — It was a quiet Friday morning on the docks in Northeast Harbor, but one ship set sail on a mission to distribute and administer 200 COVID-19 vaccination shots to Maine's island residents.
“The Maine Seacoast Mission has been supporting Maine’s most isolated communities. Since 1905 we've been at it, this is not even our first pandemic," President John Zavodny said.
The small crew from the Maine Seacoast Mission will head to four vaccination clinics on four islands over the next two days. Because of the travel challenges for some residents living on the islands, the state eased vaccine eligibility restrictions.
“On the Cranberry Islands and Swan's Island, we can do everybody 65 and above," director of Island Health Services and registered nurse Sharon Daley said.
Daley added that on Frenchboro, Matinicus, and Monhegan islands, the state is allowing the crew to vaccinate those age 18 and above.
This team held its first vaccination clinic Thursday and the crew on board the Sunbeam shared similar experiences when they discussed how island residents reacted when they received their first dose.
“People just said you know, it’s such a sign of hope that we can do this," Daley said. “[They] were really just grateful and just felt so much relief to at least get the first vaccine.”
Douglas Cornman is the Director of Island Outreach and the man behind the computer during the clinics. He inputs all the data for the state and also saw the gratitude in the faces of residents during Thursday's clinic.
“I can’t express in words how grateful they are that we’re bringing the vaccine to them," Cornman said.
Although these clinics are being held at the end of February, Zavodny said his team has been waiting for this moment for months. He mentioned Governor Janet Mills' office reached out to him and said the state will need the Maine Seacoast Mission's help at some point during this pandemic.
“For the Maine Seacoast Mission to be in a position to serve like this, it’s really been 100 years in the making and we’re grateful to be here," he added.
The Sunbeam will return to the island communities in a few weeks when it's time for residents to receive their second COVID-19 vaccine shot.