Scientists are studying how long vaccines provide immunity and how well they work against the coronavirus variants to determine the need for follow-up shots.
vaccine
Maine colleges will encourage, not require, students to get vaccinated
Several campuses say they are strongly encouraging their students and staff to get vaccinations but won’t require them as long as the vaccines are authorized only for emergency use by the FDA.
BioNTech raises COVID vaccine target to 2.5 billion doses
The company also announced it’s developing two new formulations: a ready-to-use vaccine that can be stored at fridge temperatures and a freeze-dried version that could be stockpiled.
Biden urges state mask mandates as CDC director warns of ‘impending doom’
After CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky makes an impassioned plea to Americans not to let their guard down, President Biden appeals to state and local leaders to reinstate mask-wearing requirements if they have eased them.
Portland elementary and middle school students will go back to classrooms 4 days per week
The target date for increasing in-person learning is April 26, the superintendent said in a letter to families.
U.S. CDC nearly doubles vaccine shipments to Maine pharmacies this week
The pharmacies, which will receive 23,370 doses, have been vaccinating teachers and child care workers, and will expand their services to anyone 50 or older beginning Thursday.
In photos: Portraits of newly vaccinated Mainers
Thousands of adults in Maine are being vaccinated every week, and the state’s COVID-19 vaccination program will be getting a substantial boost this week, with 10,010 additional doses, a 28 percent increase. On Thursday, a vaccine clinic was held at the Waterboro Fire Department, where Northern Light Health employees administered about 130 Moderna vaccine doses, most of them second doses for older Mainers. These portraits, taken by Press Herald staff photographer Brianna Soukup, are of just a handful of the people who came to receive their vaccine that day.
Updated: Q&A on vaccinations and the state’s new registry
What’s vaccine efficacy? Should I use the state’s new registry? Why do I have to keep wearing a mask after vaccination?
Biden pledges 200 million doses in his 1st 100 days, doubling initial goal
The president left the door open to pushing for fundamental changes in Senate procedures to muscle through key elements of his agenda.
AstraZeneca says its vaccine is 76% effective, in updated analysis released after challenges
The new data may not resolve challenges because the company’s repeated missteps have sown confusion and distrust.