Maine has entered the era of the easy COVID-19 vaccine
May 5—Good (rainy) morning from Augusta.
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "You have to have all of your receipts for inputs that you're using for soil," said Tom Falby, owner of Casco Bay Cannabis Company in Scarborough, on the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association's rigorous vetting of organic cannabis farms. "You're tracking your seedlings as well as your clones and your cuttings through the entire process. You record any interaction you have with the plants." Here's your soundtrack.
What we're watching today
Supply no longer seems to be a constraint in Maine's COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah announced Tuesday that the state would drop its residency requirement for vaccinations, noting the tourism season and the return of college students from other states. But he also acknowledged that the vaccine is just more available than it was a few months ago, when Mainers grabbed appointments in minutes.
The apparent drop in demand comes as 62 percent of Maine adults have received at least one vaccine dose, compared to 56 percent nationally. But the daily number of doses administered has dropped steadily over the past few weeks, with just shy of 77,000 doses given here over the past week compared with 127,000 the week ending April 13.
The federal government indicated Tuesday that it would begin allocating vaccines to states based on demand, not just population. How that could affect Maine is uncertain — demand here remains higher than most states, but it is not obvious that the state could make use of additional doses in the short-term. Children between the ages of 12 and 15 could also become eligible for the Pfizer vaccine in the coming days, which would increase demand for that vaccine in the U.S.
With supply no longer a significant issue, Maine's challenge is figuring out how to reduce barriers for unvaccinated adults. Surveys have suggested that roughly 20 percent of Maine adults might be vaccine hesitant. But others may struggle to get vaccinated due to information barriers or the availability of appointments in their area.
The shift toward walk-in vaccinations and evening appointments is part of the strategy to address that. Maine still needs to vaccinate roughly 83,000 adults to meet President Joe Biden's new goal of having 70 percent of adults fully vaccinated by July 4.
The Maine politics top 3
— "Tribal sovereignty effort stalls again with renewed opposition from Janet Mills," Caitlin Andrews, Bangor Daily News: "By Sunday, there was a 'pretty clear possibility' the major sovereignty bill and others would be tabled until 2021, [said Penobscot Nation Ambassador Maulian Dana]. But the decision was not widely known until Monday night, surprising supporters, some lawmakers and the office of Gov. Janet Mills by Tuesday, when sovereignty measures were set for public hearings in the Judiciary Committee."
A top legislative Democrat has introduced a 'buy American' bill aimed at the state procurement process. The measure from Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, would require most goods procured by the state to be made in the U.S. as well as give a preference for state contracts to businesses at which 60 percent or more of employees are Mainers. It has been supported by labor interests including the Maine AFL-CIO, but the administration of Gov. Janet Mills, the Maine Turnpike Authority and contractors opposed a similar version in 2019 flagging issues from cost and administrative burden to potential conflict with federal rules and bond covenants. Jackson will hold a news conference at 11 a.m. ahead of a public hearing on the bill at 1 p.m.
— "The secrets left behind by Millinocket's ousted leaders," Josh Keefe, Bangor Daily News: "But questions about the former chief, his chief deputy and what happened to Millinocket's now disbanded police department are far from settled in the eyes of many frustrated residents thanks to a combination of settlement agreements, personnel privacy laws and an ongoing threat of litigation that collectively prevents public disclosure."
— "Piscataquis GOP censures Susan Collins, saying she 'continuously muddles her opinions'," David Marino Jr., BDN: "The committee's April vote came about a month after the state Republican Party overwhelmingly voted against censuring the fifth-term senator for her impeachment vote. Collins was one of seven GOP senators who voted to convict Trump for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol on Jan. 6, all of whom have since faced censure or rebuke votes from their state parties. Most recently, a vote by the Utah Republican Party to censure Sen. Mitt Romney failed narrowly on Saturday."
Both of Maine's Democratic U.S. representatives backed waiving COVID-19 vaccine patents to help developing countries. Reps. Chellie Pingree of the 1st District and Jared Golden of the 2nd District were among 110 Democrats to sign a letter reported by The Huffington Post on Tuesday urging the Biden administration to accept a waiver request from India and South Africa to let countries bypass patents and intellectual property requirements to locally manufacture vaccines. The Biden administration has not backed that request so far after former President Donald Trump's administration led opposition to it.
Today's Daily Brief was written by Jessica Piper, Caitlin Andrews and Michael Shepherd. If you're reading this on the BDN's website or were forwarded it, you can sign up to have it delivered to your inbox every weekday morning here.
To reach us, do not reply directly to this newsletter, but contact the political team at mshepherd@bangordailynews.com, candrews@bangordailynews.com or jpiper@bangordailynews.com.
