PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the state will do more to promote flu vaccines this year to try to take the strain off the health care system during the coronavirus pandemic.
Maine promotes flu shots every year, but they’re especially important this year because of all the resources being used to combat the pandemic, Maine CDC director Nirav Shah said Tuesday. Residents typical start getting flu shots in early fall, and Shah said “it’s likely COVID-19 will still be with us” at that time.
Maine had more than 10,000 cases of influenza during the most recent flu season, which stretched from 2019 into this year. The flu vaccine is important for both adults and children, Shah said.
The coronavirus pandemic reached Maine in March. State officials have reported more than 3,700 cases of the virus in Maine since then.
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Source: AP News
