Accommodating Substantial Covid-19 Risk Factors within Maine’s Age-Based Approach to Vaccine Prioritization
Published: 2021-03-08
Abstract:
Maine has recently moved to age-based prioritization for Covid-19 vaccines (modified shortly afterwards to also prioritize teachers and child care providers). The justification was that age is very strongly associated with Covid hospitalization and death, more so than many risk factors, as discussed at the briefing, Indicators of Severe COVID-19 Illness (PDF), delivered by Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D., Director of the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention (February 26, 2021).
This position paper, Accommodating Substantial Covid-19 Risk Factors within Maine’s Age-Based Approach to Vaccine Prioritization, argues the following:
- A 10-year increase in age is associated with a 3-fold increase in Covid-19 mortality.
- A handful of risk factors, including Down syndrome (on the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) list of risk factors but not included in the Maine CDC’s public presentation) are associated with a 3-fold, or possibly 10-fold, increase in Covid-19 mortality.
- Within Maine’s age-based framework for vaccine prioritization, any condition associated with a 3-fold increase in Covid-19 mortality could give a person with that condition a 10-year “boost” in access to vaccine. Any condition with a 9-fold increase in covid-19 mortality could give a person with that condition a 20-year “boost” in access to vaccine.
Citation
Cobo-Lewis, A. B. (2021). Accommodating substantial Covid-19 risk factors within Maine’s age-based approach to vaccine prioritization [Position paper]. University of Maine. URL: https://ccids.umaine.edu/resource/accommodating-substantial-covid-19-risk-factors-within-maines-age-based-approach-to-vaccine-prioritization-pdf/