Gov. Mills updates Maine’s COVID-19 vaccine plan to focus on those 60 and older

(The Center Square) – Gov. Janet Mills is shifting Maine to an age-based COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan, with residents 60 and older becoming eligible this week.

Mills said the changes are based on the latest data showing “age is among the strongest indicators in whether an individual is likely to get seriously ill and even die.”

“Taking that into consideration, along with the clarity, predictability, and relative ease of implementation, I believe this approach is the best option to save lives and ensure the vaccine can be administered to as many people as quickly and as efficiently as possible,” Mills said in a statement outlining the changes, which go into effect Wednesday.

The changes will see a different age group becoming eligible for vaccines over the next several months, depending on availability, state health officials said.

In April, eligibility would expand to age 50 and older; those 40 and older would be eligible in May, while the 30 and older age group would get vaccines in July, officials said.

At least 65% of Mainers 70 and older have at least their first dose, and state health officials said they need to focus on other at-risk age groups.

The state’s previous vaccine rollout plan called for individuals 65 to 69, adults with high-risk medical conditions and certain front-line workers to be next in line to get jabbed.

Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew said the new plan will help the state “win the race against the COVID-19 variant taking hold in Maine and look forward to a summer in Maine that, with masks and social distancing, can resemble normal.”

MaineHealth, one of the state’s largest health care organizations, says it supports the shift to an age-based plan.

“Clinical studies show that age is the strongest predictor of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, and we support the governor’s decision to expand vaccination eligibility to those aged 60 and over,” said Joan Boomsma, chief medical officer of MaineHealth, said in a statement. “The incidence of serious illness and death increases with age, and prioritizing in this way is a straightforward and sound way to allocate vaccines to those most at risk.”

The changes, however, come as a blow to teachers and other front-line workers who were hoping they would, as a group, be included en masse in the next round of vaccinations.

Mills said the state will make efforts to bring mobile vaccination clinics to school districts to vaccinate teachers who meet the age requirements.

As of Monday, Maine had administered nearly 350,000 doses, with about 9% of the state’s population fully vaccinated, according to the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard.

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