FARMINGTON — In an effort to maintain momentum and provide convenience for area residents seeking COVID-19 vaccinations, the Franklin Memorial Hospital vaccine clinic is now taking walk-ins Monday-Friday from 8-11:30 a.m. for Maine resident 18 and older to receive the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. Vaccine doses are provided at no cost.

At the April 22 briefing, Maine CDC’s Director Dr. Nirav Shah said studies are showing that fully vaccinated people only rarely transmit the virus. “That’s a really good thing because it suggests that the vaccines have so many benefits. Vaccines not only keep you safe, not only keep you out of the hospital, not only keep you off a ventilator, but by being vaccinated you reduce the likelihood that you might inadvertently spread COVID to somebody else as well,” he said.

Other advantages for fully vaccinated people include: Visiting with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.
Visiting with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing.
Refraining from quarantine and testing following a known exposure if asymptomatic.
People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series like Pfizer or Moderna or two weeks after the Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccine.

“It is vital that we keep our momentum,” said Joan Boomsma, chief medical officer at MaineHealth. “These vaccines are both safe and highly effective, and right now in Maine, COVID-19 is surging among the unvaccinated. For the first time, we are seeing that younger people are being impacted in greater numbers than older individuals.”

In addition to Franklin’s walk-in hours, appointment can also be made online at https://vaccine.mainehealth.org or by calling 1-877-780-7545.