Maine Has a New Mobile COVID Vaccination Clinic for Rural Areas

Governor Janet Mills has announced a partnership with FEMA that will provide COVID vaccines for people in rural areas.

For some Mainers, especially elderly residents of rural communities, getting to a location where they can get a COVID-19 vaccination could prove very challenging. And if they receive a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, that would mean making the trip to a health facility or mass vaccination clinic twice. That's a lot of traveling for people who may no longer drive, or who would find the journey too taxing.

So the Mills' Administration has announced a mobile vaccination unit that will bring the shots to them. Over the next two months, the vaccination clinic will travel to 10 communities, including Oxford, Fryeburg, Calais, Madawaska, and others:

April 12-April 16 - Oxford - Oxford Casino
April 18-April 22 - Windham - Windham Mall
April 24-April 28 Biddeford - Biddeford High School
April 30-May 3 Fryeburg - Fryeburg Fairgrounds
May 5-May 7 Turner - Boofy Quimby Memorial Center
May 9-May 12 -Waterville - Marden's Surplus and Salvage
May 14-May 17 Old Town - Old Town Police & Fire Departments
May 19-May 22 Milbridge - Milbridge Marina
May 24 - May 27 Calais - Thomas Dicenzo Athletic Complex
May 29-June 2 Madawaska - Madawaska Multi Purpose Center
June 9 - June 12 Auburn - Downtown Auburn Transportation Center

The goal is for the unit to deliver 250 vaccines at each visit. And these are the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccines, so there's no need for a follow-up shot.

Maine.gov

"The clinic will complement our existing vaccination efforts well and allow people in rural communities to more easily get the vaccine, protecting their health and that of their loved ones and helping us to win the fight against COVID-19," said Governor Janet Mills, in a media release. "I am grateful to the Biden Administration for its commitment to partnering with states to get people vaccinated and to FEMA for their outstanding work to deliver on that promise."

Anyone wishing to make an appointment for a vaccination through the mobile unit, can call 1-888-455-4111. The unit made its first stop on Monday in the parking lot of the Oxford Casino.

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.