 Novel Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)
The Maine CDC is responding to an outbreak of the respiratory illness called COVID-19, caused by a novel (new) coronavirus. We urge Maine people to practice good hand hygiene, cover coughs and sneezes, and stay home if you are sick. If you are concerned that you have been exposed to COVID-19, call your health care provider, who will determine whether you should be tested and, as appropriate, submit a sample for testing.
For up-to-date information on COVID-19 including the situation in Maine, Frequently Asked Questions, and Information for Healthcare Providers, please visit the Maine CDC website. Maine CDC will continue to regularly update this page. For additional resources and up-to-date information, please visit the U.S. CDC's COVID-19 website.
Routine Childhood Immunizations During COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic is changing rapidly and continues to affect communities across the United States differently. Some of the strategies used to slow the spread of disease in communities include postponing or cancelling non-urgent elective procedures and using telemedicine instead of face-to-face encounters for routine medical visits.
Ensuring the delivery of newborn and well-child care, including childhood immunization, requires different strategies. Healthcare providers in communities affected by COVID-19 are using strategies to separate well visits from sick visits. Examples include:
- Scheduling well visits in the morning and sick visits in the afternoon.
- Separating patients spatially, such as by placing patients with sick visits in different areas of the clinic or another location from patients with well visits.
- Collaborating with providers in the community to identify separate locations for holding well visits for children.
Because of personal, practice, or community circumstances related to COVID-19, some providers may not be able to provide well child visits, including provision of immunizations, for all patients in their practice. If a practice can provide only limited well child visits, healthcare providers are encouraged to prioritize newborn care and vaccination of infants and young children (through 24 months of age) when possible. The U.S. CDC and Maine CDC are monitoring the situation and will continue to provide guidance as it becomes available.
For more information please see guidance below from the Maine Immunization Program:
Routine Vaccination in COVID-19 Outbreak
Immunization Reminder Tips During COVID-10 Outbreak
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COVID-19 Print Materials
For additional Print Materials for your office, please visit the U.S. CDC website. COVID-19 Vaccine Planning
In the event of temporary office closures at provider facilities, we are asking that providers ensure proper storage and handling of state supplied vaccines by following the guidance below:
Review back-up emergency plans and have your protocols in place
- Vaccine should be transported to an alternate location where temperatures can be monitored regularly using a portable vaccine refrigerator/freezer or a qualified container and packouts.
- If transport is not feasible and a digital data logger (DDL) is present that can store sufficient data for the closure, leave vaccine in current unit and mark "DO NOT USE".
- Upon reopening, review all DDL data and take action on any temperature excursion, if any, before administering vaccine.
- When reviewing DDL data, it is important to check that complete data are available for all dates and times.
- If the DDL ultimately did not have enough capacity to record during the period of closure or experienced failures, you will need to consult with the vaccine manufacturer to determine if the vaccine can be used or should be discarded.
- For school clinics, if there is an end of school year or holiday protocol in place, please utilize it in the event of extended closure.
Prepare for Emergency Vaccine Transport
National Public Health Week
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