Moderna vaccine would ease burden in rural Maine, CDC says

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The Moderna vaccine for the coronavirus that showed promise in an ongoing study would benefit rural Maine in terms of equitable distribution, the director of the state Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

The experimental vaccine appears to be 94.5% effective, according to preliminary data. Pfizer announced last week that its competitor vaccine is 90% effective.

A key difference between the two is that only Pfizer’s needs to be kept in ultra-cold storage. Maine CDC Director Dr. Nirav Shah said that’s significant in Maine, one of the most rural states in the country and a place where distribution in many remote corners could be a challenge.

“I think the real benefit is the equity gains, because it can be distributed in parts of the state where transport and cold storage is more difficult,” Shah said.

The state is working on plans to distribute a vaccine when it is available. Maine intends to first provide the vaccine to health care workers and first responders. That’s the plan around the country.

In other Maine pandemic news:

MORE CASES

The latest average positivity rate in Maine is 2.14%. State health departments are calculating positivity rate differently across the country, but for Maine, The Associated Press calculates the rate by dividing new cases by test specimens using data from The COVID Tracking Project.

The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Maine has risen over the past two weeks from 1.05% on Nov. 1 to 2.14% on Nov. 15. State authorities said the state surpassed 9,000 reported coronavirus cases on Monday.

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SCHOOLS SPARED

Shah said transmission of the coronavirus in Maine schools has been “very low.” He said there have been 212 cases involving students, teachers and school staff in the last month.

The low transmission rate in schools is evidence that the precautions schools are taking have worked, Shah said. He said keeping schools open for in-person learning remains a priority for Maine.

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TREE FESTIVAL CANCELED

The organizers of an annual holiday tree and wreath festival in Maine have decided to cancel the event this year because of the rise in coronavirus cases in the state.

The Midcoast Tree Festival has been postponed to 2021. The event had been scheduled to start on Friday.

“It just isn’t responsible to hold a major event that will bring hundreds and possibly thousands of people to one location before sending them off to their family Thanksgiving meals and holiday gatherings,” Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber Executive Director Cory King said.

The festival is a joint fundraising event between the chamber and other organizations that involves crafts, food and entertainment in addition to the trees and wreaths.