Maine health officials reported 142 new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, and two additional deaths, as a large chain of pharmacies are preparing to join the vaccination effort.
Walgreens is now accepting vaccination commitments this week in Maine and 22 other states as part of a partnership with the federal government. Walmart and Sam’s Club pharmacies already immunize residents. To see how to make an appointment at Walgreens, visit Walgreens.com/ScheduleVaccine.
For now, consultations are for people over 70, although that should change soon, perhaps next week. Maine officials said in early March that those aged 65 to 69 are likely to start getting vaccinated.
Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is due to report to the media at 2 pm today.
Maine gave 301,705 injections, according to data published on Tuesday, including 202,761 first doses and 98,944 second doses. Just over 15 percent of Maine’s 1.3 million population received at least one dose of the vaccine.
Overall, Maine recorded 43,736 COVID-19 cases and 660 deaths. Maine Governor Janet Mills on Tuesday ordered the flags to be lowered for half the staff by Friday to honor the 500,000 Americans who have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
Recent trends remain positive, with an average of seven days of new daily cases at 140.1 on Tuesday, compared with 164.7 the previous week and 484.6 a month ago. The seven-day averages are now similar to those of early November, before the winter peak that resulted in peaks of more than 600 daily cases in mid-January. There are currently 67 hospitalized in Maine, including 25 in intensive care. At its peak in mid-January, 207 people were hospitalized in Maine with COVID-19.
A man crosses Fore Street in Portland on Tuesday, February 9th. Team photo by Derek Davis Buy this photo
Although no set timetable has been set, Mills and Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said Maine would likely move to start immunizing the 65-69 age group as soon as two-thirds of the 70-year-old population most had received their first shots. That milestone can be reached next week.
Although the state is still limited by vaccine supplies, shipments have increased, with Maine receiving about 36,000 doses this week by combining the state vaccination program with vaccines offered at Walmart, Sam’s Club and Walgreens. This is almost double the weekly doses that Maine was receiving a few weeks ago.
Even more vaccines may arrive in Maine soon. Johnson & Johnson is on the verge of an emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, with possible approval later this week.
Company officials on Tuesday said they would be able to deliver 20 million doses by the end of March. If those deadlines are met, Maine may soon receive 10,000 or more additional doses per week of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine would require only one dose, compared to the two doses required for the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines currently in use. The Biden government is expected to increase remittances in the coming weeks, and some national public health experts have predicted a near doubling of weekly vaccine shipments in the United States by the end of March, taking into account only increases in production of Moderna and Pfizer, and not yet including Johnson & Johnson supplies.
This story will be updated.
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