WASHINGTON D.C. – A Mt. Blue High School graduate is one of 100 Department of Defense personnel assisting with Operation Warp Speed- a collaborative effort to accelerate delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to healthcare facilities across the country.
Maj. Nick Gauvin graduated from Mt. Blue in 2002, ten months after watching the twin towers come crashing down on Sept. 11.
“9/11 changed my perspective. Up to that point I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but after that I knew I needed to do something,” Gauvin said.
He enrolled at the University of Maine and took a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps class that year. He’s been traveling the world ever since, visiting more than 20 countries and climbing up the ranks to his current position of Major. The shift to joining the Operation Warp Speed team was a no brainer for Gauvin. He joined in July, as the COVID-19 pandemic was worsening.
“I just thought, well, I’m stuck here working in my basement…I’d love to be part of the team that is helping me to not be stuck in my basement,” he said.
Ever since reporting to work that first Monday, Gauvin has been clocking 12 hour days on the project as Executive Officer for the Chief of Supply, Production and Distribution. In part, Gauvin acts as the liaison between the private industry and the government. He described the mission as a “whole of America” approach. Currently OWS combines the efforts of the Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and the Department of Defense. The collaborative goal is to support the production and delivery of 300 million doses of vaccines by January 2021.
“I’ve learned a lot here. The last time I learned this many biochemical terms was in high school,” he said. “It combines the two things I’m most passionate about- helping people, and solving problems.”
Gauvin said if all goes well with the Food and Drug Administration’s assessment of the vaccine, the project will be ahead of schedule and ready to ship as soon as late this week. Maine Governor Janet Mills announced last week that they have officially placed an order for 12,675 vaccines from Operation Warp Speed. The first round of vaccines is the maximum number of doses allowed and will be prioritized for frontline health care professionals and residents of skilled nursing and long-term care facilities. The following location will receive 975 doses each:
Maine Medical Center in Portland
Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland
Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor
Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston
Northern Light A. R. Gould Hospital in Presque Isle
Maine CDC
The remaining doses will be administered to residents of long-term care facilities.
