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AUGUSTA, Maine – Governor Janet Mills signaled on Tuesday that she would agree to a new set of federal guidelines that would move older and vulnerable Mainers into the state’s coronavirus vaccination program.
The US Department of Health and Human Services announced new guidelines on Tuesday that encouraged states to relocate anyone 65 or older as well as those with pre-existing conditions in a current phase largely reserved for healthcare workers. and those who work or live in long-term care. facilities. At the same time, President Donald Trump’s administration has also pledged to release second doses of the vaccine rather than keeping them in reserve for boosters.
The change in strategy has been on the table for weeks, and Maine health officials have mostly refused to speculate what the state would do if it did happen. But Mills said in a press release Tuesday that it was “appropriate” for the first vaccines to be sent to older residents and that she would announce updates to the plan soon.
Maine is the oldest state in the country in terms of median age. It also has one of the highest proportions among states of people with health conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19. A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 42.5% of adults in Maine – 60% of those over 65 and 23% of young adults – would be at risk of serious illness if they contracted the virus.
The change could have logical implications. Maine, like many states, has prioritized healthcare workers, residents of long-term care facilities, and emergency medical services workers for its first doses. These groups are largely vaccinated at their places of work or residence, making it easier to get vaccinated than other Mainers who should make an appointment.
Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director Nirav Shah said the state will set up large community sites and mobile sites as vaccinations begin to reach the general population, but details of these plans are not yet finalized.
Both vaccines also require cold storage, although Pfizer only requires ultra-cold freezers that hospitals, some universities, and the state typically have.
Maine was among the top states in vaccine distribution, with just four states distributing more doses per capita. State health officials recently requisitioned vaccines that Walgreens, one of the two major drugstore chains in charge of the long-term care vaccination program across the country, had no immediate plan to use to donate to hospitals.
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