November 17, 2021
Governor Janet Mills announced today that, effective immediately, all Maine adults age 18 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot, regardless of underlying medical condition. Expanding booster eligibility is a critical step needed to limit transmission of the deadly Delta variant. The Maine health care system is now overburdened because of a sustained surge of COVID-19 cases, particularly among unvaccinated individuals.
“Given the high level of COVID-19 transmission occurring in Maine, we want Maine people to be clear that all adults are now eligible for a booster,” said Nirav D. Shah, Director of the Maine CDC. “If you haven’t already received a booster, or gotten vaccinated, now is the time.”
Effective immediately, people ages 18 and over may receive a booster shot in Maine if:
- They completed the two-dose Pfizer or Moderna vaccine series at least six months ago; OR
- They received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine at least two months ago.
Maine joins at least four other states – Colorado, California, New Mexico, and Arkansas – that have made the COVID-19 booster available to all adults. Recent scientific studies have shown that while vaccination remains highly effective at preventing infection and severe disease, protection may decrease over time after COVID-19 vaccination. Infection and milder illness may still occur as decreased protection from vaccination appears to be occurring further out from initial vaccination.
MDI Hospital’s COVID-19 vaccination sites are offering expanded booster eligibility by appointment. Click here to visit our COVID-19 Vaccine page. Local pharmacies in Southwest Harbor, Bar Harbor and Ellsworth are also offering COVID-19 vaccination and booster shots by appointment. Click here for a list of Maine’s vaccination sites or call the State of Maine’s Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.
So far in Maine, nearly 200,000 people, or 20.7 percent of fully vaccinated people, have received a booster dose, according to the U.S. CDC. Maine has the third-highest rate of fully vaccinated residents, with nearly 72 percent of Maine people fully vaccinated against COVID-19.