Vaccination Clinic Opens for Those Eligible

February 17, 2021

A News Center Maine article, written by Hannah Yechivi, titled "Bangor Hospital Hosts Weekend Vaccination Clinic" reports that thousands of Mainers who are eligible to receive the vaccine are still awaiting their first dose. St. Joseph Hospital opened a vaccination clinic this past weekend to administer the received vaccine shipment, about 200 doses a week.

Since the hospital doesn't have the ultracold refrigerators needed to store the Pfizer vaccine, St. Joseph is exclusively using the Moderna vaccine, says Dr. Dave Koffman, and will be distributed differently compared to other large hospitals. The hospital is open to the community, and anyone can call a community line to receive information and be put on a list. Dr. Koffman says it's basically like the lottery as people are randomly selected, and if you are chosen, you get the vaccine.

Although it's more difficult for smaller hospitals like St. Joseph to receive vaccine shipments, Dr. Koffman hopes to keep the vaccination clinic up and running. He mentions the state has been prioritizing mass vaccination sites but understands why they're doing so. 75-year-old Maine resident Skip Howard received his first vaccine dose on Sunday. Since he grew up during the latter stages of Polio in the 1950s, he was impressed by the technology and science for delivering a vaccine within a year.

If you would like to learn more, head over to the article by clicking here: Bangor Hospital Hosts Weekend Vaccination Clinic