Photo / Courtesy of Maine DHHS
Jeanne Lambrew
Updated: July 13, 2023
Maine DHHS looking to end COVID-19 vaccine requirements
The Maine Department of Health and Human Services proposes that the COVID-19 vaccine be removed from the required immunizations for health care workers.
Maine is among the four remaining states with some type of vaccine requirement.
The department says the vaccine remains an important tool to protect public health but that the requirement for health care workers achieved the intended benefit of savings lives, protecting health care capacity and limiting the spread of the virus during the height of the pandemic.
The state has required the immunization of employees at health care facilities to reduce the risk of exposure and vaccine-preventable diseases. Health care workers include any individual employed by a hospital, multi-level health care facility, home health agency, nursing facility, residential care facility, and intermediate care facility for individuals with intellectual disabilities licensed by the state.
“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine has followed the science in developing policies to limit the spread of the virus,” said Jeanne Lambrew, commissioner of the Department of Health and Human Services. “Today, a robust body of evolving evidence tells us that this requirement achieved its goals of saving lives and protecting health at a crucial time. We continue to encourage all Maine people, including dedicated health care workers tending to Maine’s most vulnerable residents, to stay up to date on COVID-19 vaccination.”
The proposed rule change, filed Tuesday with the Department of the Secretary of State, is based on available clinical and epidemiological data about COVID-19, increased population immunity resulting from vaccination and prior infections, decreasing disease severity, improved treatments and declining infection and death rates, DHHS said.
DHHS expects the rule to be published next Wednesday and to adopt the rule-following public comment by the end of 2023. Health care providers can still implement COVID-19 vaccination requirements for their employees.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone six months and older, including health care workers, remain current on COVID-19 vaccination.
“Maine’s hospitals and health systems remain grateful for the Mills Administration’s leadership on this issue,” said Steven Michaud, president of the Maine Hospital Association. “This requirement protected our patients, caregivers and hospitals during the height of the pandemic. We support this science-based update to the rule and will continue to be guided by patient safety in our efforts to limit the spread of the virus and promote vaccination as a valuable tool to protect public health.”
EMS workers
The Department of Public Safety’s Maine Bureau of Emergency Medical Services (Maine EMS) will present information to the Board of Emergency Medical Services at their scheduled board meeting on Aug. 2 for them to consider corresponding action on the existing immunization requirements detailed in Chapter 21 of the Maine EMS Rules, which discusses required immunizations.
According to the report, the information being presented to the board will include updates from the scientific literature about the efficacy of the immunization requirements based on the current COVID-19 variant and data from the Maine EMS electronic patient care reporting system on EMS clinician exposures.
“Maine Health Care Association (MHCA) commends the Mills Administration for continuing to respond to the latest data and updating COVID vaccine requirements accordingly,” said Angela Westhoff, president and CEO of MHCA. “The requirement achieved its intended goals and we fully support this change. Infections remain low and Maine has some of the highest vaccination rates for long-term care staff and residents. As the science evolves, we will continue to follow best practices for infection prevention and control and will promote ongoing efforts to educate our community about the many benefits of vaccines.”
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