Dr. Nirav Shah, Director of the Maine CDC, at a COVID-19 Briefing.
Dr. Nirav Shah, Director of the Maine CDC, said at this afternoon’s weekly briefing that so far he is pleased with the role out of the booster shots in Maine. He responded to what he considers to be the four most important questions Mainers are asking about booster shots.
First, anyone 65 years of ago or over, anyone living in a health care facility, anyone who is 18 years or older with an underlying medical condition, or anyone at risk to exposure should receive a booster shot. Second, following a full vaccination, protection does decrease. The passage of time does decrease the effectiveness of the vaccine. The delta variant is much very contagious; both of the foregoing make a booster shot for those previously identified appropriate. However, Dr. Shah emphasized that being eligible for a booster shot does not mean that protection has gone down to Zero. Those wanting a booster can get one at the Auburn Mall or from a local pharmacy Dr. Shah recommended.
Dr. Shah indicated that a good time to get a booster shot is six months, at least, after the second vaccine shot. He also recommended getting a flu shot at the same time you get a booster. Whether or not to “mix and match” Moderna and Pfizer shots has not been established yet. That is under evaluation at this time.
Maine maintains the third highest rate of vaccinations in the country. As of Monday, 68.4% of Mainers are now fully vaccinated. For those over the age of 65 years old, 98.6% of Mainers have been fully vaccinated.
There is a disparity in the number of those who have been vaccinated living in Cumberland County and those who have been vaccinated in rural counties such as Somerset County. Dr. Shah reported that one factor driving these differences is a concern of long-term effects by those who live in rural areas. The most common concern is for peoples’ fertility. Vaccination of individuals will not affect their fertility in the future Dr. Shah asserted.
These weekly Maine CDC briefings can be viewed each Wednesday at 2:00 pm on Maine Public Television. Scheduling is subject to last minute changes.