Yes. “This was Preventable” is a Message that Applies to This Situation.

AG Aaron M. Frey Issued an Advisory to all COVID-19 Vaccine Providers:  Follow MaineCDC Guideline.

Attorney General Aaron M. Frey has issued an advisory to all COVID-19 vaccine providers in Maine warning them against administering doses of vaccine to ineligible individuals according to a press release issued by his office this evening.

This advisory comes in response to reports of improper administration by large providers and notes that “the Office of the Maine Attorney General will consider seeking legal and administrative sanctions against providers who administer the COVID-19 vaccine to persons who do not meet applicable eligibility criteria.”

In addition to the advisory Attorney General Frey issued the following statement:
“It is important to recognize and appreciate the efforts of Maine’s health care providers who are carefully adhering to the state’s guidelines.  I want to thank them for their hard work vaccinating eligible Mainers, which is saving lives.

“It is also important to stop behavior which contradicts the rules put in place by the CDC.  Whether it is giving vaccine doses to wealthy donors who cut the line ahead of others who might need it more, or allowing out of state union-busters to receive doses which should have gone to Mainers, practices which go against the protocols developed carefully by the experts at the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, undermine the public’s trust and hinders our response to the pandemic,” the press release concluded.

It can’t be lost on blog readers that recently MaineHealth was “outed” for vaccinating remote workers who have no face-to-face contact with the public as well as out-of-state consultants hired to prevent nurses at Maine Medical Center from unionizing.  Both groups are not included as priorities by the MaineCDC to be vaccinated against the COVID-19.  The emphasis has been on health care workers as well as Maine residents who are over 70 years old.  Vaccinating anyone other than these Maine residents is in violation of the MaineCDC guidelines.  MaineHealth is also running a major vaccination clinic at The Downs, Scarborough that opened earlier this month.  For more on that project, please visit post herein dated February 3, 2021.

In the two-page advisory to COVID-19 Vaccination Providers dated February 16, 2021, Attorney General Aaron M. Fey wrote:  “Applicants further acknowledge that non-compliance with the agreement may result in suspension or termination from the CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Program and criminal and civil penalties under federal laws, including but not limited to the False Claims Act,……… and other related federal laws……”

Please read herein a statement by Governor Janet T. Mills dated February 9, 2021 that outlines her concerns on the subject.