AUGUSTA — Governor Janet Mills announced Wednesday that 80 percent of all eligible people in Maine have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, achieving another milestone for the state as it continues to confront an increase in cases associated with the Delta variant.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC), 80.2 percent of eligible people in Maine age 12 and older have received a COVID-19 vaccination, one of eight states in the nation to reach the milestone.

Maine is tied for the third best state in the nation in the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated, with more than 65 percent of all residents – including children under 12 who are not yet eligible for a vaccine – fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Maine also continues to make progress in vaccinating younger people, with more than 52 percent of youth ages 12 to 19 being fully vaccinated.

Despite that progress, like other states across the country Maine is confronting an increase in cases and hospitalizations driven by the highly transmissible Delta variant. As of today, there are 125 COVID-19 patients in Maine hospitals, 60 of whom are in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 27 of whom are on ventilators.

The Maine CDC reports that between 70 percent and 75 percent of the people hospitalized currently with COVID-19 are not fully vaccinated.

“I applaud Maine people for their willingness to roll up their sleeves, but the surge in cases and hospitalizations driven by the more dangerous and more transmissible Delta variant shows that more people must get vaccinated to stem the tide of this pandemic,” said Governor Mills. “The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, and, of course, unquestionably far better than running the risk of getting COVID-19. If you are not vaccinated, please protect yourself, your family, and those who are not yet eligible for vaccines, like our youngest kids, by rolling up your sleeve today. Doing so will be the best and fastest way to end this pandemic once and for all.”

“This is solid progress, and puts Maine at the top of the vaccination league table. But we have more work ahead of us,” said Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Nirav D. Shah, Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention. “If you haven’t yet been vaccinated, there’s no better time than now to roll up your sleeve. We’re still in this pandemic, and vaccination is the best tool we have against the virus.”

The U.S. CDC percentage takes into account the number of people age 12 to 17 who have received at least one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, the number of people age 18 and older who have received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, and the number of people age 18 and older who have received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The COVID-19 vaccine is available at no charge at sites across the state. For information on getting a COVID-19 vaccine, visit Maine.gov/covid19/vaccines or call the Community Vaccination Line at 1-888-445-4111.