UMaine to host campus clinic as part of April 28 Maine Day
With classes ending April 30, universities pursuing immediate and return to campus vaccination clinics
Orono, Maine — The University of Maine will be hosting a vaccination clinic at the Wells Conference Center from 1-5 p.m, on Wednesday, April 28, as part of Maine Day. The clinic is being provided by Penobscot Community Health Center to help students, faculty, and staff get vaccinated before the end of the semester and will offer participants a choice between the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine or the two-shot Moderna vaccine. The public is welcome and no appointment is necessary. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine and the Moderna vaccine can only be administered to people aged 18 and above.
The clinic will be staffed by UMaine nursing students and faculty.
Classes at the University of Maine System end on April 30 and commencement is scheduled for May 8. The University of Maine System launched the “This is Our Shot, Maine,” vaccination education campaign in the days before eligibility for the Maine Immunization Program was expanded to everyone aged 16 and above on April 7. The campaign has focused on encouraging vaccination through state health care providers and pharmacies per state guidance.
With the April 26 decision by public health officials to remove limitations on special clinics for students in higher education University of Maine System universities are considering opportunities for campus-based clinics on a case-by-case basis. Factors under consideration would be community partner capacity and vaccine supply in the next ten days and the need for campus-based clinics to serve residential student populations and employees reporting to campus.
The University of Maine System is launching a vaccination reporting tool this week and is surveying community members to assess participation. The University of Maine System is planning to make campus-based clinics a part of its return to campus strategy in the fall if incoming and returning students, faculty, and staff need access to vaccination sites.
“We are proud to be a part of a state vaccination campaign that leads the nation in effectiveness,” said Chancellor Dannel Malloy. “We now have new opportunities to do even more to get our students vaccinated and to reach our goal of being Maine’s most vaccinated workforce. This is our shot to end the pandemic. We’re taking it.”
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