COVID-19 Vaccination in Maine

Maine continues to work with partners throughout the state to vaccinate as many Maine people on the front lines of the pandemic as quickly as possible, along with older Mainers and those most at risk of serious illness and death. The Maine vaccination plan’s initial eligibility group (previously called Phase 1a) included health care workers who were critical to COVID-19 response as well as residents and staff of long-term care and assisted living facilities. Sufficient vaccine doses were available by February 2021 to vaccinate all eligible individuals in this group. Maine has now moved to an age-based vaccination plan.   

Maine residents who are eligible for vaccination under the previous Phase 1a, either because they are newly eligible or have not yet been vaccinated, remain eligible. Please consult the following FAQs to learn about receiving your vaccine. 

FAQs: Phase 1a Vaccination for Maine Health Care Personnel

1. Who is eligible for vaccination as “health care personnel”?

This includes personnel who work in a health care setting with patients on a regular basis (e.g., each day of work). The U.S CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) defines “Health Care Personnel” as “paid and unpaid persons serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials.” Maine is defining “health care settings” as follows: 

• Hospitals
• Long-term care facilities
• Outpatient clinics/physician practices/dental practices
• Home health care
• Pharmacies
• Emergency medical services
• Public health settings
• Schools nurses/school health clinics

It does not include others such as administrative personnel, clinical or other medical personnel who are not patient facing (e.g., clinicians who provide care via telehealth), support staff who do not have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials (e.g. food service staff), personal support staff and others who do not work in health care settings,  funeral personnel, laundry personnel, or consultants and other individuals contracted by health care organizations who do not have direct contact with patients or exposure to patients or infectious materials. 

2. Who is eligible as public safety personnel?

This group is limited to public-facing personnel at fire departments, federal, state, and local law enforcement, as well as officers at correctional facilities. It includes public-facing personnel at the Transportation Security Agency and Customs and Border Patrol. This group does not include administrative personnel, private security personnel, and ski patrol members or staff who do not have direct contact with the public on a regular basis (i.e., as a daily part of their job).

3. Who is eligible as COVID-19 critical infrastructure?

This includes Maine DHHS and CDC personnel whose daily work is critical to COVID-19 testing or epidemiological response; certain members of the Maine Emergency Management Agency; manufacturing personnel at Abbott and IDEXX Laboratories working on COVID-19 test material production; Jackson Laboratories personnel working on COVID-19 whole genome sequencing; and Puritan Medical Products personnel working on swab production.

4. How do I know if I qualify to get a vaccine as COVID-19 critical infrastructure, and if so, and where do I go?

Only frontline workers in organizations determined by Maine CDC to be critical to the Maine COVID-19 response are eligible to get vaccinated at this time. Those organizations have been notified by State officials.If eligible, your employer will arrange for how you will get vaccinated. 

5. Does Phase 1a include workers providing social services, homeless shelters, personal and direct support services, many of whom care for people with COVID-19?

No. Maine recognizes and values these critical frontline services, and with an expanded vaccine supply, we hope to vaccinate these workers as soon as possible.