Governor Janet Mills has accelerated the COVID vaccination schedule, to allow all adult Mainers to start making their appointments in May.

The modification in Maine's original schedule will make all adults eligible for a COVID vaccine faster than originally planned. It now looks like this:

  • Currently: Age 60 and older + teachers, school staff, childcare providers
  • April 1st: Age 50 and older
  • May 1st: All adults

Governor Mills says the acceleration of the schedule is in answer to a directive from President Joe Biden, who has promised to increase the supply of the vaccine into the state.

"As the Biden Administration works to get us shots," Governor Mills said in a media release, "we will continue our work to get them into arms. The future is getting brighter, but there is more to do - and my Administration will continue to work with the President and with healthcare providers across the state to get people vaccinated and move us closer to getting back to normal."

The governor's administration is working with local healthcare facilities to open large-scale vaccination clinics. In addition, they're helping to make the vaccine more readily available to people in rural communities in Maine.

According to the state of Maine's vaccination dashboard, more than 500,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered. 323,049 residents have received at least their first COVID vaccination, while 189,235 have received both shots. Dr. Nirav Shah reminded Mainers, in a recent media briefing, that residents should consider themselves 'fully vaccinated' two weeks after receiving their second dose.

The Maine CDC urges residents to continue to wear face coverings, wash their hands often, practice social distancing, and avoid gatherings to prevent the spread of the virus.

LOOK: Answers to 30 common COVID-19 vaccine questions

While much is still unknown about the coronavirus and the future, what is known is that the currently available vaccines have gone through all three trial phases and are safe and effective. It will be necessary for as many Americans as possible to be vaccinated in order to finally return to some level of pre-pandemic normalcy, and hopefully these 30 answers provided here will help readers get vaccinated as soon they are able.

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