The supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses coming into Maine will increase again next week. The state will receive roughly 30,000 doses, while Walmart and Walgreens pharmacies will receive a separate combined allocation from the federal government.
Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah said that will bring the total to more than 39,000.
“That will be the highest amount of vaccine that will be coming into our state since mid-December when we first started on this journey around vaccination,” he said.
Shah said the increase, the stability in the supply and the prospect of emergency authorization of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine opens up options for the vaccination rollout in Maine. Gov. Janet Mills is expected to release details in the coming days. READ MORE
Another 24 Mainers have died as health officials on Thursday reported 217 more coronavirus cases across the state.
All the deaths occurred in the past month and were confirmed to involve the virus after a review of vital records, according to Maine CDC spokesperson Robert Long.
Two Androscoggin County residents, three Cumberland County residents, two Franklin County residents, two Hancock County residents, two Kennebec County residents, a Lincoln County resident, four Oxford County residents, three Penobscot County residents, two Sagadahoc County residents and three York County residents have succumbed to the virus, bringing the statewide death toll to 701. READ MORE
The program could provide up to a year’s worth of rental and utility payments for struggling Mainers, and comes as about a quarter of Maine adults say they are behind on rent, according to a survey by the U.S. Census Bureau.
The December stimulus package included $25 billion in rental relief. Maine got $200 million, more than most states on a per capita basis, due to a funding formula that advantaged less-populated states by making that amount the minimum allocation for each state.
The funding is more than eight times what Maine allocated to a state rental relief program last year. That program received more than 22,000 applications, according to state data.
The new program will do more, covering utilities and rent payments with no cap on the amount of rent covered. It will cover back rent for applicants to March 2020 and up to three months of future rent. Applicants can get up to 15 months of total assistance, MaineHousing said. READ MORE
A fire at a home on the corner of Mount Battie Street and Blake Street in Camden has sent four people to the hospital and left one unaccounted for.
Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley tells News Center Maine his crew arrived to the scene around 1:15 a.m. Crews from Rockport, Lincolnville, and Hope responded as well.
Once on the scene, crews found several people already outside. Maine State Fire Marshal Joe Thomas reported that five people were transported to the hospital. Farley confirmed with News Center Maine that one person died in the fire. READ MORE
