Maine is nearly 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine

Maine was ready to exceed 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine injected into the arms on Monday, a symbolic milestone at a time when the state is also experiencing one of the highest infection rates in the country.

The two statistics highlight what public health officials often call a race to get vaccinated against a virus that is spreading even faster among the non-vaccinated population in areas of Maine and other states.

Official figures for the clinics on Monday will only be reported Tuesday morning, but Maine had less than 3,500 doses on Sunday night. Vaccination clinics have administered between 7,000 and 13,500 doses each month over the past month, although the Patriot’s Day holiday may affect the rate of vaccinations.

Maine is getting shots faster than almost any other state, with 42 percent of the state’s 1.3 million residents receiving at least one dose as of Monday and 32 percent already completing their vaccination arrangement. These figures rise to 50 per cent and 38 per cent respectively among the 16-and-older population currently eligible.

However, there are also trends regarding infection rates, especially among Mainers under 30 and in Androscoggin County.

The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported 260 new cases of COVID-19 and two additional deaths on Monday. Although the recent number of daily cases varies widely, Maine’s seven-day moving average increased from 328 last week to 475 on Monday, more than tripling this year’s lowest average of 137 on February 20th.

The two new deaths reported Monday – both Oxford County men, one in his 40s and the other in his 50s – have raised total COVID deaths in Maine to 767. To date, the CDC in Maine has confirmed 57,545 confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 since the coronavirus was first detected in the state in March 2020.

Maine last week had the seventh-highest new case per 100,000 residents in the country, according to both the Global Epidemics program at Brown University’s School of Public Health and the New York Times’ COVID tracking system. The states with higher rates are Michigan, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Minnesota.

State health officials have expressed concern about the recent upswing, but also pointed out that Maine is still conducting more tests for COVID-19 – and thus finding more new cases – than in many other states.

The new business rate in Androscoggin County, 78.1 cases per 100,000 residents, was more than twice the average rate of 35.4 in the past week. Androscoggin’s rate is higher than more than half of the provinces in Michigan – which are currently experiencing the worst increase in the country.

A recent outbreak at Bates College with more than 70 cases is probably one reason why Androscoggin County’s cases are so high. But based on the country, younger Maine residents are responsible for the recent increase in cases.

On Monday, 30 percent of the new cases occurred in people younger than 20 and 17 percent among individuals in their twenties. Public health professionals attribute the trend to a combination of factors, including more transmissible variants of the coronavirus, increased social gatherings among people who are not masked, and other higher-risk activities.

More than 50 percent vaccinated

According to Bloomberg News, Maine and New Mexico had the highest percentage of people fully vaccinated in the U.S. as of Monday, and Maine followed only New Hampshire and Connecticut in terms of the percentage of the population that received at least one dose.

Health care providers administered 996,602 total doses to individuals in Maine as of Sunday night. About 42 percent of the population of 1.3 million residents – and just over 50 percent of eligible 16-year-olds or older now – have received at least one vaccination.

Nearly 32 percent of the state’s population received both the necessary shots of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines or the one-dose shot of Johnson & Johnson before the vaccine was discontinued last week to enable federal health officials set to investigate extremely rare cases. of blood clots.

The federal government’s advisory committee on immunization practices is expected to review this Friday and possibly decide on the J&J vaccine. Over the weekend, the country’s leading officer on the infectious diseases, dr. Anthony Fauci, predicts that the single-dose vaccine is likely to return, but may be accompanied by additional warnings about the still extremely rare risk of blood clots.

There are now hundreds of sites in Maine offering vaccinations, from large-volume clinics operated by hospital networks such as MaineHealth and Northern Light Health to large retail pharmacies and supermarket chains. A complete list of vaccination sites is available at maine.gov/covid19/vaccines/vaccination-sites or individuals can call the state’s Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.

Dr Nirav Shah, director of the Maine CDC, said in a message on Twitter on Monday morning that there are still appointments available for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week at the mobile vaccination unit in the Windham Mall. The mobile clinic is jointly operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state and currently offers shots with the Moderna vaccine. Individuals can book appointments by calling 1-888-445-4111.

On Sunday, Gov. Janet Mills marked the symbolic milestone of Maine that surpasses the 50 percentage point for eligible residents who have received at least one shot of vaccine.

‘This is the biggest vaccination effort in our history and one of the biggest logistical challenges in generations. This milestone is a testament to the teamwork of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, the Maine CDC, the Maine National Guard, our health care providers and volunteers across the state, who work 24 hours a day to help people from Maine against COVID. protect. 19, ”Mills said in a statement.

‘Because of their efforts and because Maine people are rolling up their sleeves to do their part, more than half of Maine’s residents, 16 years and older, have now received at least one dose of vaccine, and more than a third is fully vaccinated. , ”Mills said. “We will continue our efforts to vaccinate as many people as possible. I encourage everyone to be vaccinated so that we can defeat this virus and its variants and get back to normal as soon as possible. ”

Vaccines to the Maine CDC are expected to decline slightly this week, dropping 230 doses to a total of 36,460. The decline is mainly due to the fact that federal regulators are interrupting the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, while investigators are investigating the possible link between blood clots and the vaccine.

The total number of doses is likely to be closer to 50,000 this week, as doses are tracked and sent separately to retail pharmacies and community health clinics. A total of 11,820 doses – about 2,600 fewer than last week – are expected to be shipped to pharmacies in Maine operated by Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, Good Neighbor, MedShoppe and Hannaford and Shaw’s supermarkets.

The University of Maine system meanwhile announced Monday that students who have been fully vaccinated with someone who has COVID-19 will no longer need to quarantine as long as the vaccinated student is asymptomatic. Vaccination is encouraged but still voluntary for UMaine students, while students and staff at Bowdoin College and a growing number of institutions nationwide must vaccinate against COVID-19 before returning to campus for the fall semester.

NATIONWIDE ENLARGEMENT

Monday was also a significant shift in the national vaccination strategy, as residents of every state aged 16 or older were eligible. During an information session of the White House COVID-19 response team, officials said it has never been so easy to get a chance. “

“If you still think it’s too difficult to get your vaccine, this is what you need to know: the lack of supply, the shortage of places, the confusing rules are all in the past,” said Andy Slavitt, senior adviser at the White House, said. COVID-19 reaction. “That cannot be said enough. Thanks to the aggressive actions of many people and the cooperation of so many people across the country, there are now thousands of people ready to get you vaccinated, and there are still millions of vaccine doses available waiting, and there are now more than 60,000 safe and convenient places to give your chance. ”

The case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths are still creeping up nationwide. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that the average of seven days of new cases across the country rose to 66,702 from about 53,000 a month ago and that the number of COVID-related deaths increased for the sixth consecutive day. has.

Hospitalizations in Maine have also increased in recent weeks. On Monday, 105 individuals across the country were admitted to hospital with COVID-19, compared to Sunday, while 32 people were in critical care units and 14 were connected to ventilators. Although rising, hospitalization figures in Maine are still well below the peak of more than 200 seen during the boom at the beginning of the year.

Federal officials said Monday they had received reports of fewer than 6,000 “breakthrough” cases – in which a fully vaccinated person gets COVID-19 – from more than 84 million fully vaccinated Americans. And 30 percent of the individuals show no symptoms.

“These vaccines work,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the American CDC, said.

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