Watch: All Mainers Aged 16 and Over Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccinations on Wednesday

All Mainers aged 16 and over will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination starting Wednesday, as the Mills administration accelerates program expansion and more doses are allocated to the state.

The deadline was extended by 12 days, with the state planning to expand eligibility on April 19. the administration therefore decided to change the schedule.

“With the federal government dramatically increasing our vaccine supply, it is appropriate to speed up our timeline and make everyone in Maine (16 and over) eligible as of next Wednesday,” Governor Janet Mills said in a statement. communicated. “While this is a big step forward, people in Maine should keep in mind that even though they are eligible, it will still take time to get an appointment and get vaccinated. We will continue to work with vaccine vendors across Maine to get arm shots as quickly as possible.

Mills will join a 2 p.m. press conference with Jeanne Lambrew, Maine Health and Human Services Commissioner, and Dr. Nirav Shah, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

To pre-register for an appointment, go to https://vaccinateME.maine.gov

Maine reported 283 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, the second day in a row that cases have surpassed 250. There have been no additional deaths.

As the vaccination effort accelerates, Maine is experiencing an increase in the number of daily cases among populations that are not yet eligible for vaccination.

The seven-day daily average of new cases fell from 196.4 a week ago to 231.4 on Thursday. This is still well below the peak of more than 600 cases per day in mid-January, but cases have seen an upward trend.

Meanwhile, 435,700 people in Maine have received at least the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, representing 32.4% of Maine’s 1.3 million people. In addition, 277,098, or 20.6 percent of the population, received a final dose.

For the 50-59 age group, which became eligible for vaccination on March 23, 71,217 people, or 37 percent of the 194,000 people in that age group, received at least the first dose of vaccine. For those aged 60 and over, 283,716, or 72 percent of the 394,000 people in this age group, received at least the first dose.

The vaccination schedule is expected to continue to accelerate next week, with Maine receiving a record 54,790 doses, mostly caused by an influx of extra doses from Johnson & Johnson.

National reports said Wednesday that 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine had been spoiled at a manufacturing facility in Baltimore, but that would not affect next week’s supply. According to a company statement, the manufacturer, Emergent Biosolutions, has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to manufacture doses for Johnson & Johnson and that the bath that was ruined has “never been brought forward until ‘at the filling and finishing stages of our manufacturing process. “

Robert Long, spokesperson for the Maine CDC, said in a statement that “Our federal partners have confirmed that Maine will receive the entire planned allocation of 20,600 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine next week. The doses of J&J vaccine that Maine will receive were not manufactured at the affected facility. “

Thirty-four states and the District of Columbia have already opened eligibility to all adults or plan to do so by April 19, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation’s Center for Health Policy Research.

John Porter, spokesperson for MaineHealth, the parent company of Maine Medical Center, said appointments at MaineHealth sites, which include the Scarborough Downs mass vaccination site and others, are being filled for the next week, but they’re ready for a dose escalation.

“With respect to expanding age eligibility, we are confident that we can accommodate any demand that arises,” Porter said.

Currently, 74 people in Maine are hospitalized for COVID-19, including 20 in intensive care.

This story will be updated.

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