Earlier this week, we welcomed a new milestone in the battle against the pandemic: the FDA’s full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.
In case you didn’t hear it, last Monday, the FDA granted full approval of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people 16 years of age and older.
This action reinforces the robust and rigorous scientific evidence that says that this vaccine is safe and effective, and, of course, unquestionably the vaccine is far better than running the risk of getting COVID-19, especially while the more dangerous and much more transmissible Delta variant drives a surge in cases and hospitalizations around the globe. This Delta variant is threatening the lives of people right here in Maine.
As of right now, there are more than 110 people in hospitals in our state, about half of whom are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and seriously ill with this deadly virus. Nearly a quarter of the people in hospitals right now with COVID are on ventilators helping them breathe.
The Maine CDC reports that about 75 percent of the people hospitalized for COVID are unvaccinated.
Please don’t let this be you.
Getting vaccinated may save your life. It may also save the life of a family member or a friend, or the life of a child whose not yet eligible for a vaccine.
COVID-19 vaccines are available at no charge at sites all across the state. For information on getting a vaccine, just visit Maine.gov/covid19/vaccines or call the Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.
Maine people’s adherence to the science throughout this pandemic has kept our rate of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and deaths fairly low compared to almost all other states, and its kept our vaccination rate high too. But we can’t let up now. We can’t let down our guard. Please, I urge everyone who has not yet been vaccinated — get your shot as soon as possible.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.