PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Northern Light AR Gould Hospital will hold COVID-19 vaccine clinics for people ages 70 and older at both the hospital and Northern Maine Community College next week.
AR Gould said on Tuesday that the clinics will occur on Wednesday, Jan. 27, and Friday, Jan. 29. All 840 appointment slots for both days were filled hours after online registration opened.
The vaccines will only be available to seniors age 70 and older due to the Maine CDC’s current distribution plan. Healthcare workers and other employees at AR Gould received the Pfizer vaccine in December. In January, the hospital began distributing the vaccine to health care workers not associated with AR Gould, including local dentists and school nurses.
AR Gould communications manager Karen Gonya said that the Jan. 27 and 29 clinics will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at both locations. All clinic attendees will receive the Pfizer vaccine, which requires that they receive a second dose 21 days later.
Gonya noted that attendees should arrive at the clinic no earlier than their designated appointment time to maintain the indoor limit of 50 people for both locations. Attendees should also bring a form of identification that confirms their age, their appointment confirmation email that was sent at the time of registration and, if applicable, health insurance information.
For these particular clinics no walk-ins will be accepted due to social distancing guidelines. AR Gould plans to announce upcoming clinics in the coming weeks that will largely depend on the allotment of vaccines the hospital is able to receive.
“It’s exciting for us to start branching out and distributing the vaccine among the general public,” Gonya said. “We are as anxious as anyone about getting the vaccine to those who need and want it, but right now it’s a matter of supply. We hope to begin scheduling clinics on a weekly basis.”
Correction: A previous version of this story stated that the clinics would be held at both AR Gould and NMCC. Both clinics will be held at NMCC only.
