Controversial Vaccine Could Be Available to Mainers Next Month

According to the Maine CDC's Tuesday update, the cumulative number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Maine is now at 47,388 an increase of 189 since Monday. 36,726 of those cases are confirmed while 10,662 are deemed probable.

There were no new deaths reported for individuals with COVID-19 maintaining the total number of deaths at 725. 1,605 patients have had to be hospitalized at some point. 82 are currently hospitalized with 24 in intensive care and 9 on a ventilator.

At the time of publishing, there is a technical problem with the national vaccine tracking system so the following numbers are as of March 14th. 512,284 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to Mainers, with 323,049 having had one dose and 189,235 having had both doses. 24.03% of the population have received the first dose and 14.08% have received both.

The most recent vaccine from AstraZeneca is set to roll out as planned despite European countries such as Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweeden, and Latvia suspending it as an option due to reports of blood clots in patients shortly after receiving the vaccine according to CNBC. The World Health Organization and other experts insist that the benefits outweigh the potential consequences. The Associated Press reports that Emer Cooke of the World Health Organization notes that thousands of people develop blood clots every year and there were no indications that blood clots were a risk during vaccine trials.

Reuters reports that the AstraZeneca vaccine should be available stateside in April.

If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, including a runny nose, sore throat, dry cough, fever, and in severe cases, difficulty breathing, the Maine CDC says you should call your doctor before going in so that they can prepare for your arrival. The Maine CDC continues to update with new information daily. Keep checking on our mobile app or website to get the latest.

Get our free mobile app