#Maine residents will be issued a card along with COVID-19 shot

PORTLAND, Maine — Maine residents will be issued cards to simplify the process of getting vaccinated for coronavirus after they receive the first shot.

The state began a rollout of the vaccine this week and it is expected to take months. Hundreds of health care workers have been vaccinated so far.

The coronavirus vaccine that is becoming available is a two-shot series. People who receive the vaccine will receive a card that reminds them when they were vaccinated, as well as where and when they need to return for a second shot, Maine Center for Disease Control Director Dr. Nirvav Shah said Wednesday.

The vaccine is available only to frontline health care workers at the moment. Shah has said the vaccine will likely reach the broader population sometime around the late spring or earlier summer. It’ll be available to members of at-risk groups before then.