SKOWHEGAN — The Hight Family of Dealerships has teamed up with Redington-Fairview General Hospital to provide a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic Friday as part of the effort to vaccinate more Somerset County residents.
The clinic is planned for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Hight Protection building at 250 Madison Ave.
While 64% of Maine’s population is vaccinated, Somerset County continues to trail the rest of the state, with 51% of its population fully vaccinated, according to data Sunday from the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention.
“Our commitment to our community goes beyond providing fair prices and best in class service on vehicles to our customers,” said Sam Hight, dealer principal at Hight Ford and a member of the Redington-Fairview board of directors. “It also includes our universal focus on keeping our local area vibrant and in the best position to succeed.”
The Hight Family of Dealerships also collaborated with the hospital earlier this year by donating space for a vaccination clinic.
“The success of our community rests in the hands of its people,” Hight said. “Success can be measured not only by the economy, household income and jobs but literally the health and safety of our community.”
Redington-Fairview has held vaccination clinics at the Skowhegan State Fair and Skowhegan Craft Brew Festival.
Walk-in clinics are offered from 3:30 to 5 p.m. every Thursday at Redington-Fairview’s campus. Those who are at least 18 years old can show up and choose between the two-dose Moderna vaccine or the one-shot vaccine offered by Johnson & Johnson.
“Politics, news media and opinions aside, whether you believe in the vaccine or not, we felt it paramount to assist our local health care providers administer a proven method to reduce the spread of COVID-19,” Hight said.
On Monday, state health officials reported more people in Maine were on ventilators than at any point during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials said 194 people were hospitalized and 40 were on ventilators.
On Saturday, 581 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, according to the Maine CDC.
Addendum: This story has been updated with corrected times Friday for the vaccination clinic.
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