Gov. Mills issues standing order to make COVID vaccines available to Mainers without prescription

Mainers will be able to access COVID vaccines without a prescription, according to new guidance issued by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention under Gov. Janet Mills’ direction.

This fall, the Food and Drug Administration only approved the shots for those at greatest risk for getting seriously ill from COVID, including seniors at least 65 years old or those who have health conditions, such as diabetes, asthma, or high blood pressure. 

That means COVID vaccines aren’t broadly available to anyone ages 6 months and older anymore, which has been the case in other states. 

Some national pharmacies, such as CVS, previously said they would only administer COVID-19 vaccines to people in Maine with prescriptions from their doctors, according to the Portland Press Herald. 

But the new order from Mills “serves as a prescription for all Maine people,” allowing them to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at pharmacies, clinics, and health care offices across the state without a prescription from their health care provider, according to an announcement from herMills’ office Friday afternoon. 

“I will not stand idly by while the Trump Administration makes it harder for Maine people to get a vaccine that protects their health and could very well save their life,” Mills said in a statement. “Through this standing order, we are stepping up to knock down the barriers the Trump Administration is putting in the way of the health and welfare of Maine people.”

The Maine Bureau of Insurance will also ensure that health insurance companies provide full coverage for COVID-19 vaccines without any cost sharing or prior authorization. MaineCare, the state’s Medicaid program, also covers COVID-19 vaccinations.

The availability of vaccines still remains under question despite the order. When Caitlin Gilmet, director for Maine Families for Vaccines and communications director for American Families for Vaccines, made an appointment last month for her family, including school-age children, to get the COVID vaccine this month, they received a notification that they needed to wait until the state was able to ensure that we’re able to get these vaccines.

“I’m super enthusiastic, both as a parent and a pro-vaccine advocate, to know that the governor’s office and Maine CDC acted so quickly to defend access to covid vaccines, especially with respiratory virus season starting and kids heading back to school,” she said.

Democratic lawmakers including Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry and House of Representatives Speaker Ryan Fecteau applauded Mills’ decision on Friday.

“At a time when the federal government is putting up barriers to keeping Americans healthy, the governor’s leadership ensures that all Mainers can continue to protect themselves and their families with safe, widely available vaccines,” Daughtry said in a statement.  “This standing order is a critical step to safeguard public health, and I thank Gov. Mills and the Maine CDC for stepping up where the federal government is falling short.”

The order will make it easier for Mainers who want the vaccine despite federal uncertainty to access it, Fecteau said.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration health officials have argued that most otherwise healthy, younger people have so much immunity that they don’t necessarily need annual boosters anymore. But according to guidance from several national medical and public health organizations, including the Maine CDC,  “vaccination remains the most effective defense against severe COVID-19.”