Opinion: Maine should support the COVID vaccine

Key Argument: Maine Should Support COVID-19 Vaccination

This article strongly advocates for Maine to continue supporting COVID-19 vaccination efforts, countering proposed legislation (LD 871 and LD 436) aiming to exempt individuals from vaccine mandates and prohibit state agencies from promoting vaccination to children.

Statistical Evidence of Vaccine Effectiveness

• Nationally, an estimated 319,000 COVID-19 deaths could have been prevented in the first year with higher vaccination rates.
• Studies estimate that the vaccine prevented 139,000 deaths in the US during the first five months of rollout and 3.2 million deaths and 18.5 million hospitalizations worldwide in its first year.
• In Maine, approximately 1,100 deaths could have been prevented with higher vaccination rates.

The author emphasizes that states with lower vaccination rates experienced a higher disease burden, highlighting Maine's relatively better situation due to higher vaccination rates.

Critique of Proposed Legislation and Call to Action

The author criticizes the proposed legislation as unreasonable, given the ongoing threat of COVID-19 and the proven benefits of vaccination in preventing serious illness and transmission. They conclude by asserting that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and should be promoted by the state, rather than discouraged.