Augusta, MAINE – Governor Janet Mills announced today that all Maine residents age 16 and older will be eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine beginning next Wednesday, April 7, 2021. The acceleration of Maine’s vaccination timeline by a week and a half comes as Maine is expected to receive a significant increase in vaccine supply from the Federal government. Vaccination for residents age 16 and older had previously been scheduled to begin on April 19, 2021.
“Maine continues to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible. With the Federal government significantly increasing our supply of vaccines, it is appropriate to accelerate our timeframe and make all Maine people eligible beginning next Wednesday,” said Governor Janet Mills. “While this is a great step forward, Maine people should keep in mind that even though they are eligible it will still take time to get an appointment and get a vaccine. We will continue to work with vaccine providers across Maine to get shots into arms as quickly as we can.”
“The fine work of vaccination clinics throughout Maine makes it possible to get shots into the arms of more residents sooner than originally projected,” said Dr. Nirav D. Shah, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “With consistently higher weekly vaccine allocations, we can move ahead with vaccinating all Mainers 16 and older.”
The vaccine schedule is now as follows:
· Now: All Maine residents age 50 and older
· April 7: All Maine residents age 16 and older
As with all changes in eligibility, it will take some time for some vaccine clinics to begin to schedule appointments and administer COVID-19 vaccines. Some vaccine sites may now begin accepting appointments for newly eligible residents, while others are preparing to offer appointments in the coming days. The Pfizer vaccine is authorized for individuals ages 16 and 17, but consent from a parent or legal guardian is required to vaccinate children. For more information on vaccinations for 16 and 17 year old Maine residents, click here.
To date, more than 420,000 Maine people have received their first dose of the vaccine – almost 32 percent of our population, with nearly 20 percent being fully vaccinated. 59 percent of Maine people 50 and older have received their first dose, with almost 36 percent being fully vaccinated. Maine is currently 4th best nationwide for the percentage of its population with at least one dose of vaccine and currently ranks 7th best nationwide for the percentage of its population fully vaccinated.
Maine Insights Newsmagazine 