The Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (Maine CDC) will be spending an additional $500,000 to extend its marketing campaign focused on encouraging Mainers to get updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines through this September.

The Maine CDC previously paid the Westbrook-based marketing firm Ethos Marketing and Design $200,000 to promote this campaign from May 2024 to the start of this year. This latest half million dollar extension more than doubles the spending.

According to a request to waive competitive bidding document published Monday, the Mills administration will be paying the marketing firm an additional $500,000 to carry the ad campaign through September 30, 2025.

“This renews the contract agreement with Results Marketing [d.b.a. Ethos] and will encourage Maine people, particularly those 65 and older and those who are immunocompromised to get their updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines,” the state contract reads.

“The goals of the campaign are to increase awareness about eligibility for updated vaccinations against COVID019 and the flu,” it reads. “Encourage Maine people to get vaccinated and decrease hesitancy about getting themselves and their children/those in their care vaccinated.”

The Maine CDC says the additional $500,000 in funding will allow for “greater media outreach for the developed television campaign, digital and social media campaigns promoting vaccine uptake for the intended audiences.”