Mills government’s plan to switch vaccines to age-based eligibility elicits mixed reactions

Maine’s updated plan to vaccinate residents against COVID-19 based entirely on age has met with mixed reactions from industries who were hoping their workers could move onto the front lines soon.

In the state hospitality sector, there is no doubt that a majority of workers will have to wait until late spring or early summer under the new state plan based on l age in which 60-year-olds will be eligible next week, followed by those 50 and over. in April, 40 and over in May and 30 and over in June. People under 30 will be targeted in July and beyond.

“It’s still a 25-40 group versus 50-65, there’s no question,” said Greg Dugal, director of government affairs for Hospitality Maine, the world’s largest association of restaurants, bars and establishments. state accommodation.

The state has already licensed vaccines for those 70 and over, and starting next Wednesday, Mainers 60 and over will become eligible for their first dose of the vaccine, which protects against severe symptoms of the virus that claimed the lives of half a million Americans, including more than 700 in Maine.

The state’s decision to remove the priority given to frontline workers in favor of age brackets has been a blow to teachers, especially with increased pressure to reopen schools. Governor Janet Mills said on Friday that although teachers are not considered a category of the workforce, the state will work to bring vaccination clinics to districts to vaccinate teachers eligible for the ‘age.

“We understand how difficult it is for everyone,” G said.Race Leavitt, president of the Maine Education Association, the state teachers’ union. “Prioritizing educators within these bands by providing them with dedicated vaccination opportunities to speed up their receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine will provide additional security for our educators, students and communities.

To date, 31 states have opened vaccine eligibility for teachers, according to Education Week.

Dugal said hospitality workers were on the front lines in dealing with customers throughout the pandemic and their ability to stay on the job by keeping doors open, often at limited capacities, is critical to maintaining the Maine economy on track.

“So they’re in danger, and when you look at a restaurant, how many places do you go where a worker is dealing with a person without a mask?” The only other place I can think of where this happens on a regular basis is a dental office, ”he said. “There is no doubt in our mind that (hotel workers) should be placed on the front lines.”

Briana Volk, the owner of Portland’s Hunt and Alpine Club, took to Twitter on Friday to express her disappointment, noting that her restaurant would remain closed. She was also worried about friends and peers who work in dangerous environments, some of whom have contracted COVID-19.

“By allowing restaurants and bars to be open for indoor dining and not vaccinating workers, Maine is telling all of us that the people who are behind one of the biggest industries in our state is not as important as this sweet, sweet. money for out-of-state tourists, ”Volk tweeted.

And while some like Volk were deeply disappointed with Friday’s news, Dugal acknowledged that the new plan clarified Maine’s vaccine distribution policy and could streamline efforts going forward.

“The timetable they have proposed is quite aggressive,” he said. “If they can meet that schedule, for all intents and purposes, by the time the peak period arrives, maybe everyone will be vaccinated.

Curtis Picard, president and CEO of the Retail Association of Maine, agreed with Dugal that the plan presented on Friday adds clarity and eases confusion over who will be eligible for the vaccine and when.

“I’m happy that the administration is clear on what the plan is going forward,” Picard said. “And deciding to go through an age-based system, I guess, is understandable.”

Still, Picard said there were some 80,000 workers in Maine’s retail industry, working in stores large and small across the state, and like those in the hospitality industry, they stayed in. front line facing the public throughout the pandemic.

He said other questions about the vaccine, including advice and recommendations on how those vaccinated may behave and the requirements the state will have for visitors who have been vaccinated for the coming summer. , remained largely unanswered.

Picard said that now that Mills has been vaccinated, he would like to see the governor “come out a bit more in the public” to help restore consumer confidence that those who are vaccinated can once again fully participate in the economy.

Christine Cummings, executive director of the Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association, said her industry was also happy to have a clearer picture of how vaccines would be distributed.

“Throughout the pandemic it has been difficult, with constantly changing policies, to have a good understanding and a good ability to plan and move forward,” Cummings said. “Regardless of the fact that it no longer prioritizes specific frontline levels, it at least gives these companies and people a clearer path.

Among others who offered a mixed reaction to the new vaccination plan was the state’s largest union, Maine Service Employees Association, SEIU Local 1989.

“We appreciate that the governor’s age-based approach aims to accomplish the greatest good for the most people in the shortest possible time,” said Jeff McCabe, a spokesperson for the union, on Friday. “The sooner everyone gets vaccinated, the sooner Maine’s economy can get back on track.”

But McCabe also noted that many of the state’s frontline workers who worked throughout the pandemic – including child protection officers at the Department of Health and Human Services, analysts at the lab State Police criminal and DOT plow drivers – would not be eligible for vaccinations soon.

As an example, McCabe said child protection workers often visit prisons or hospitals as part of their job – workplaces where they may be the only ones not vaccinated.

“They are doing their jobs with considerable risk to themselves and their families,” McCabe said. “Yet they continue to lack access to the vaccines that have been provided to first responders with whom they work regularly sometimes on a daily basis.”

The state’s two largest healthcare organizations, MaineHealth and Northern Light Health, have provided support for the senior-based plan.

“The incidence of serious illness and death increases with age, and prioritizing in this way is a smart and simple way to allocate the vaccine to those most at risk,” Dr. Joan Boomsma, Chief Medical Officer of MaineHealth, the state’s largest healthcare system, said in a prepared statement.

Dr James Jarvis, chief medical officer of the incident command at Northern Light Health, said the new plan removes complex barriers to vaccine distribution.

“Ultimately, with a limited supply of vaccine, the efficiency and ease of operation will serve our communities and fellow Mainers better than any other approach that allows us to immunize all Mainers faster,” he said. .

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