This last month has seen a sustained surge of COVID-19 in Maine, driven by the Delta variant still, and made much worse by the number of people still not vaccinated.
With more people gathering indoors this holiday season in crowded places, risking more illness and hospitalizations, our health care system is just about at full capacity.
This is very similar to what’s happening in our neighboring states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont as well.
To help with hospital capacity, I activated the Maine National Guard and deployed them around the state to help our hospitals and nursing homes treat people with COVID-19 and other serious medical conditions.
I also asked the federal government to send skilled health care professionals to Maine to support our overwhelmed health care workers.
The federal government quickly said yes.
Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.
One federal COVID-19 response team has already arrived in Maine. Starting last weekend, and running through Thursday, December 23rd, fifteen Federal clinicians, physicians, nurses, and paramedics from the U.S. Department of Health federal National Disaster Medical System, are supplementing existing staff at Maine Medical Center.
We’ve asked for more support as well. And more federal support may also be heading to Maine in the coming weeks and days.
My Administration has also applied for federal ambulances and ambulance crews to transport patients among eight Maine hospitals and make sure they get to the facility that best meets their health care needs.
I am hoping that the combination of Federal help and National Guard support, along with additional actions by my Administration, will alleviate some of the strain on our health care system and will ensure critical care for those who need it, but hey we need your help too.
As I mentioned, most of the people in the hospital in Maine with COVID-19, particularly those in critical care, are not vaccinated. Ultimately, the best and most effective way to relieve the burden on our heroic health care workers is to heed their advice: get vaccinated.
To find a vaccination site visit maine.gov/covid19/vaccines or call the Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.
I join Governor Sununu of New Hampshire, Governor Baker of Massachusetts, Governor Scott of Vermont in saying this virus doesn’t care who you are, where you are from, whether you are young or old, rich or poor, Democrat, Green or Republican, it’s a threat to all of us.
It’s so important to get vaccinated, and to take precautions to protect all of us. That means also mask wearing and hand washing. And if you’re thinking of having a holiday gathering, it also means reconsidering that, keep it small, keep it safe.
This holiday season give the gift of health. Get vaccinated. The life you save may be your own. Or it may be a small child who cannot get vaccinated herself, but who depends on everyone else in her community to get vaccinated to keep her safe.
There’s simply no downside.
Get vaccinated as soon as possible. It’s free, it’s effective, and it’s important.
We want you around next year for the holiday season too.
This is Governor Janet Mills. Thank you for listening.