Walgreens locations in Maine will begin offering COVID-19 vaccinations to older Mainers later this week as the state continues to increase its capacity.
The national chain, which was already participating in the retail pharmacy program in more than a dozen other states including New Hampshire and Vermont, joins Walmart as the second pharmacy chain to begin offering vaccines to Mainers aged 70 and older. Appointments are available on the company’s website beginning Wednesday.
Along with CVS and a number of independent pharmacies, Walgreens also played a role in vaccinating staff and residents of long-term care facilities in Maine, administering more than 16,000 vaccines so far, according to company data.
Walgreens will receive doses of the Pfizer vaccine, according to a planning document from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. The company did not immediately respond to questions Tuesday about which locations would be offering vaccines or the number of appointments available in Maine, but Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said more than 40 locations would be offering appointments.
Eligible Mainers can sign up for a vaccine on Walgreens’ website. Appointments were available through the platform at several Maine locations as of Tuesday afternoon.
Nearly 203,000 Mainers had received first vaccine doses as of Tuesday while 99,000 got second doses as well. About half of Mainers aged 70 and older have been vaccinated, according to the Maine CDC. The next phases will cover residents between the ages of 65 and 69, adults with certain health conditions and some frontline workers, though the conditions and exact occupations have not been announced.