By not accounting for the increased risk of serious illness and death among individuals with certain medical conditions and racial minorities, Maine officials are perpetuating the inequities laid bare by COVID-19.
As a health care program analyst, I don’t disagree with Gov. Mills and Dr. Nirav Shah that age is a risk factor and that adopting an age-based approach to vaccination may be easier to implement. The notion that Maine having the highest median age of any state indicates that a strictly age-based approach is best for Maine, however, does not hold up after the oldest age groups have been vaccinated.
The risk of dying from a COVID-19 infection does increase with age. The risk of dying from a COVID-19 infection is 1 in 10,000 at age 25, but is 1 in 100 at age 60, 1 in 40 at 70, and 1 in 10 at 80.
But consider that among transplant recipients, the risk of dying from a COVID-19 infection is 1 in 5. Among cancer patients, it is 1 in 4.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that Black, Hispanic and Native persons are three to four times more likely to be hospitalized and two to 2½ times more likely to die from COVID-19 than white persons.
It is disappointing that policymakers have chosen the easy approach of focusing on age at the expense of Black and brown Mainers and those living with chronic illness.
Megan Hambrick
Portland
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