Businesspeople know that hope and aspiration aren’t a plan. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention and its director, Dr. Nirav Shah, did magnificently last year keeping us informed; thus, I expected a plan of execution, not a vaccine lottery come Jan. 1.

Everybody knows that Maine has the oldest demographic. Being over age 70, I’m concerned to the point of paranoia. We have willingly cloistered in our COVID cave to avoid contracting the virus. We relied upon the wisdom of the professionals, only to find we have bet on a weak horse in this race.

I’m neither an epidemiologist nor a scientist, simply a common-sense retired businessperson. Nonetheless, I could sketch out a plan to get the fabulous vaccines into willing arms. I never expected to be invited to join the vaccine buffet line with 1.3 million Maine citizens. Shah and the CDC were to have a clearly enunciated plan by December. Here we are coming into February and stuck in a health care lottery.

I am a patient of Martin’s Point and they have a large segment of the elderly population in the state, but they are initially getting only 1,000 doses and will announce a plan when ready. MaineHealth and Northern Light have at least opened their vaccine lottery. I have practitioners in all three but have never received a call. Shah says not to get multiple vaccine lottery tickets, but he doesn’t go beyond aspiration and hope.

If you don’t want overwhelmed telephone lines, enunciate a clear and convincing plan. I expected much better!

John F. Marr
South Portland