PORTLAND, Maine (AP) The state hopes federal approval of a COVID-19 vaccine for younger teenagers will reverse a decline in the number of vaccinations for four consecutive weeks during the pandemic.
The number of vaccinations has dipped from a peak of more than 125,000 doses in the first week that eligibility opened to all adults to less than 63,000 last week, the Portland Press Herald reported.
The numbers could grow now that the Pfizer vaccine is going to be allowed for people younger than 16.
MaineHealth is working with school districts to offer vaccinations for students. Many students could be fully vaccinated before the school year comes to an end, said Dr. Joan Boomsma, chief medical officer.
“We see the vaccine as that potential game-changer for us,” said Jeremy Ray, superintendent for Biddeford, Dayton and Saco schools. There are clinics in Biddeford on May 18 and in Saco on May 20, he said.
