Two New England governors are set to meet virtually with President Joe Biden on Tuesdy to share best practices on their COVID vaccination efforts.
Biden will host Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Maine Gov. Janet Mills, along with four other state governors, for a virtual discussion in light of the White House's goal of getting at least 70% of adults in the U.S. at least partially vaccinated by the Fourth of July, a press representative said.
Massachusetts has already met that goal, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's COVID data tracker on Monday. The commonwealth has already gotten at least one dose of the vaccine to 73% of its adults, trailing only Vermont and Hawaii nationwide.
Baker said the meeting would cover "how to reach and deliver vaccines to either folks that are part of what we would call the 'hesitant community,'" as well as people who are harder to reach.
Maine is close behind, with 69% of adults at least partially vaccinated -- good for sixth in the nation.
"Maine is making nation-leading progress in getting shots into arms, a testament to the willingness of Maine people to do their part and to the teamwork of State government professionals and our health care providers and volunteers," Mills said in a statement. "But there is more work to do to get this pandemic behind us, which is why we are doubling-down on efforts to expand access to the vaccine, to get into hard-to-reach communities, and to deliver shots into arms."
The other governors attending the bipartisan meeting -- three are Democrats, three Republicans -- are from Ohio, Utah, Minnesota and New Mexico. Those states have 53%, 56%, 63% and 67% of adults at least partially vaccinated, respectively.
USA Today first reported the meeting.
