Referring to incomplete appointments, the state said Mainers 16 years and older would be eligible for coronavirus vaccines on April 19, which would increase the state’s timeline by about two weeks and dose up to 483,000 more people on that day alone. open.
Friday’s move, from Janet Mills, came just after neighboring states of Massachusetts and Vermont said they would open the vaccines for the age category on the same day. States are expanding the suitability as they expect an increase in federal government doses next month. In Maine, health care providers will have to increase to cope with the increased demand, which requires longer hours and more transit clinics.
Mills also announced that Mainers over 50 could be vaccinated from next Tuesday, just over a week before they would initially be eligible for vaccinations on April 1 under the state’s age plan. It provides access to another 165,000 people. The plan does not take into account underlying conditions and breaks with virtually all other states.
The move was made in part because of many available appointments for people currently eligible – mostly those in their 60s and teachers and child care workers – that have not been filled, said Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and – prevention, said at a news conference Friday.
“We started hearing the last day or so that some slots were no longer filling,” Shah said. “It does not work for us.”
Shah did not link unfilled gaps to hesitation, saying middle-aged people may not be able to book appointments right away due to work commitments. He was confident they would be able to get a vaccine in the coming weeks, saying he was “encouraged” by federal promises about an increase in doses and indications from the provider that it could increase the spread. Providers are allowed to prioritize vaccinations within age groups based on health risks. No vaccines have been approved in the US for children under 16.
Jeanne Lambrew, commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services, said some people may still face challenges in booking appointments. She said the state expects to use more of its COVID-19 volunteer staff, as well as new vaccination routes and more appointments for the increase.
Extensive options may be needed to reach certain rural sections of the population. To date, Maine has fully vaccinated nearly 16 percent of its population, with state counties Somerset, Oxford and Franklin receiving both doses or a one-time option, according to state data, both under 12 percent of their population.
The award of vaccines has been promoted in part by the emergency consent of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, although the awards have not yet met their promised demand. New cases of COVID-19 have also increased in the state, despite the accelerated vaccination of vaccines.
Only one other state – Alaska – now offers shots to anyone 16 and older. More than a dozen other states offer it to people 16 and older who have underlying conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus, according to Becker’s Hospital Review. New Hampshire will open vaccines to people aged 16 and older within a few weeks, reports the Associated Press.
Maine has limited its eligibility over the past few weeks. The state’s previous roster for the general public to be vaccinated was on May 1 after President Joe Biden ordered countries to speed up their timelines. It replaced a program that weighed health conditions and employment and switched to an age-based system at the end of February.