Vaccine eligibility expands to 60+
ELLSWORTH Maine has received 11,500 doses of the now FDA emergency use-approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine for distribution across the state, and an additional 3,500 doses exclusively for Hannaford pharmacies, including the Ellsworth location. Unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, the J&J one requires one dose instead of two. It does not require storage in extreme sub-zero temperatures.
“It’s the type of vaccine we can bring to individuals, rather than asking individuals to come to the vaccine,” said Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Executive Director Dr. Nirav Shah at a March 2 media briefing.
The vaccine was shown to be 72 percent effective overall in the United States and nearly 86 percent effective against severe forms of the disease, according to analysis released by the FDA. Shah noted the J&J vaccine has also shown it is effective against the new variants spreading across the globe, perhaps above the approx
Seacoast Mission brings first COVID-19 vaccination clinics to Maine islands mainebiz.biz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from mainebiz.biz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Health facilities have expressed concern that they won’t be able to maintain quality medical care for the state’s lowest-income residents without an increase in the amount of money they receive from the state.
The problem has magnified over the last year. More people enrolled in MaineCare amid the pandemic, raising questions about the sustainability of the program tasked with ensuring the most vulnerable people have access to healthcare, including those with low incomes and those who are medically needy.
“The biggest issue we have right now is getting coverage for individuals and having a sustainable model of reimbursement (from MaineCare) for those services,” said Chrissi Maguire, the president and CEO of Mount Desert Island Hospital. “It’s really abysmal.”
Maine Seacoast Mission’s boat will take COVID vaccines to several islands
In addition to the Cranberry Isles, Frenchboro and Swan’s Island, the organization plans to hold COVID-19 vaccination clinics on Isle au Haut, Matinicus and Monhegan.
By Dick BroomMount Desert Islander
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MOUNT DESERT The Maine Seacoast Mission, in cooperation with the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Mount Desert Island Hospital, will visit Swan’s, Great Cranberry and Little Cranberry and Long islands this week to hold COVID-19 vaccination clinics for people 65 and older so that they will not have to travel to MDI or farther to get their shots.
Maine Seacoast Mission s boat, the Sunbeam, will take COVID vaccines to outer islands pressherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.