COVID-19 News and Updates
Fogtown Brewery Offering Walk-In Vaccine Clinic
The Fogtown Brewery and Beer Garden located at 25 Pine St., Ellsworth, will be offering a vaccine clinic Friday, February 11, 2022 from 12:00pm-2:30pm.
In their words, “In partnership with The City of Bangor Public Health and Community Services, Fogtown will be hosting a free vaccine clinic at our Ellsworth location.” “Bangor Public Health and Community Services will be offering Moderna (18 and up) and Pfizer (12 and up) boosters, and ask that folks bring their vax cards if they have them, as well as insurance cards (though there is no out of pocket cost to the person receiving the vaccine, some admin fees may be billed to insurance companies). Walk-ins welcome. If you have vaccine questions, please contact Bangor Public Health and Community Services: 207-992-4554, vaccines@bangormaine.gov or jennifer.doyle@bangormaine.gov.”
COVID-19 in Maine
Though numbers of cases continue to far outpace the case numbers we saw last January, the trend in positivity rates is starting to take a turn for the better. In the last week, positivity rates for PCR tests have dropped from 20% to 13%, and antigen test positivity rates dropping from 25% to about 19%.
State of Maine to Distribute Free N95 Masks and Rapid Antigen Home Tests
Some pharmacies across the state of Maine are now distributing free N95 masks under a federal aid program aimed at distributing 400-million medical-grade masks. Adults may claim up to three masks. There are as of yet no N95s certified for child use. N95 masks provide some of the best available protection against the coronavirus, and have long been primarily reserved for healthcare workers. Although healthcare workers report still seeing shortages of N95 masks, many pharmacies have already begun to distribute the masks with more expected in the coming weeks.
Participating pharmacies in Maine include Walgreens, Walmart, and CVS locations. The companies have released locations where the masks are currently available on their websites with plans to roll them out in other locations as they become available.
Bangor Daily News coverage of free masking program along with participating pharmacy locations: https://bangordailynews.com/2022/02/01/news/where-to-get-free-n95-masks-in-maine-xoasq1i29i/
Residents of some Maine communities are now eligible to receive one free kit with five at home rapid antigen tests. Visit https://www.maine.gov/covid19/testing for more information and to determine whether or not you are eligible for the free test kits.
Best Metric for State of COVID-19: Hospitalizations and Viral Load in Wastewater
The Maine CDC is changing tactics in its plan to track the virulence and spread of COVID-19 in the state. The CDC will be suspending contact tracing efforts due to the rapid spread and short incubation time of Omicron, making contact tracing on a wide scale ineffective.
Experts are finding that the best metric for determining the severity of the pandemic is in numbers of hospitalizations and the viral load present in wastewater. Testing the viral load in wastewater provides a good measure of how much the virus is spreading in the general population and does not rely on people volunteering to test. Overall load of the coronavirus in the wastewater be a good early indicator of positive cases and hospitalizations in a community.
More than a dozen Maine communities will partner with the CDC to begin testing viral load using this method in an effort to stay ahead of present and future surges.
Bangor Daily Report on Wastewater Testing: https://bangordailynews.com/2022/01/27/news/bangor/bangor-will-start-testing-wastewater-for-coronavirus-as-omicron-surges-joam40zk0w/
Novavax Seeks Approval for New Vaccine by FDA
Moderna changed the name of its vaccine and the upcoming Novavax
Novavax has officially filed a request for emergency use for its COVID-19 vaccine to the FDA. The Novavax vaccine is unique in that it operates using a protein-based platform more similar to other routine vaccinations within the United States. Officials are hopeful that this will help those who are unwilling or unable to get the mRNA vaccine, as well as help meet growing demands for vaccines.
If approved, the vaccine would be available to those 18 years and older. Early results for the Novavax vaccine claim a 90% efficacy rate against COVID-19.
CBS Report on Novavax Vaccine Efforts: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/novavax-covid-vaccine-seeking-fda-authorization/
Pfizer In Final Stages of Pediatric Vaccine Approval
Pfizer is in its final stages of approval for a COVID-19 vaccine for children 6 months to 4 years of age, potentially becoming available in as little as a few weeks. The vaccine would be a three-shot primary series, with a much smaller dosage than the adult immunizations.
The initial data for these trials was not as effective as the company was hoping in children aged 2 years to 5 years, but was decently effective in children under two years.
The potential of a vaccine for this young age group on this horizon presents much needed relief to parents, people working on childcare, and healthcare workers.
The approval process for the use of this vaccine in this age group is rigorous, as outlined in the following report from NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/02/02/1077376625/covid-vaccine-kids-under-5.
Featured in the Field:
Science with Anni
This week’s featured social media account is brought to us by Dr. Annicka Evans. With a Phd in Bioengineering and a career as a Biotech scientist, her account breaks down complicated topics in immunology into easy to understand infographics and illustrations.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sciencewithanni/?hl=en
Website: https://sciencewithanni.com/
Thanks again everyone for checking in this week. Stay safe, and remember to take care of each other. ~ Nina
Nina Duggan is Healthy Acadia’s COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Project Coordinator. They will be sharing weekly updates about COVID-19 in the state of Maine and beyond, along with resources you may find useful on testing, vaccination, and best practices in preventative measures.
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If you or anyone you know have questions or concerns about COVID-19 or the available vaccines please call or text our COVID-19 Peer Support Line at 207-271-6023, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.