AUGUSTA — Governor Janet Mills announced Wednesday night that Maine has reached another vaccination milestone, delivering at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine to more than 70 percent of Maine people age 18 and older, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) tracker.

“Maine continues to make nation-leading strides in getting shots into arms,” said Governor Janet Mills. “Maine people, our medical professionals and volunteers across the state, the Maine National Guard, and our teams at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Maine CDC all deserve credit for this achievement. There is more work to be done, and we will continue our efforts to make the vaccine more accessible for more people, as we also encourage folks to do their part and roll up their sleeve to help us get back to normal faster.”

“It is exciting to reach this milestone for adults on the same day that the U.S. CDC affirms the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s authorization of the Pfizer vaccine for children ages 12 to 15,” said Jeanne Lambrew, Commissioner of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services and Dr. Nirav D. Shah, Director of the Maine CDC. “As we strive to get shots in the arms of the remaining adults who are unvaccinated, we support expanding efforts to vaccinate Maine children.”

Six states – Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Connecticut, and New Hampshire – have vaccinated more than 70 percent of their adult population, according to the U.S. CDC.

The percentage takes into account both the number of people age 18 and older who have received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, and the number of people age 18 and older who have received the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.