Governor shares vaccine news, reiterates school guidance
The flag at Woodstock Union High School & Middle School campus. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
With the new school year starting this month, Vermont Gov. Phil Scott shared some vaccine news and repeated the state’s recommendations for schools.
Coming from a weekly governors’ call with the White House, Scott learned that clinical trials are going well for the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 2-11. He said Pfizer will be able to submit their application for emergency use authorization as soon as early or mid-September.
He also noted the recent news that Pfizer just received full federal approval for its current vaccine. The full approval applies to those age 16 and older, though the Pfizer vaccine continues to be available under emergency use authorization for individuals 12 through 15 years of age (read more details here).
Scott said many who haven’t been vaccinated have expressed concern that the vaccine was approved only under emergency authorization. The governor hoped the new Pfizer status might make a difference.
“So, if you’ve been on the fence, I hope this news will help inspire you to join well over 400,000 of your fellow Vermonters and get vaccinated,” Scott said at a Tuesday press briefing.
To date, 85.6% of eligible Vermonters have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 76.4% are fully vaccinated.
Scott reiterated the state’s health guidance for schools, that masks be required for all students of all ages at the start of the year. For students under 12, the state is asking all school districts to mandate masking for them until vaccines are available and they’re fully vaccinated. These are recommendations, as the state can’t mandate masking requirements without implementing a state of emergency. It removed all state restrictions and the state of emergency in mid-June.
Scott noted how important it is for kids to return to a five-day, in-person learning schedule, as they’re about to do. He said the state released its health recommendations weeks ago to give schools time to plan at the local level.
“We believe this common-sense approach will allow our kids to get back on track and make up some of the lost ground in a safe and productive way,” Scott said.
Officials said the health department will support schools with contact tracing services if needed, just like they did during the prior school year. Heather Boucher, the state’s deputy secretary of education, said Vermont is “starting from a good place” thanks to everyone’s efforts over the past year, including people getting vaccinated. As both an educator and a parent, Boucher said she appreciated the great value in in-person school for students’ educational development, and so the kids can see their friends.
“We’re hearing from educators, parents and community members that students are excited to return to school with less worry and restrictions than there were last year, and I just want to say, I’m profoundly grateful to everyone who worked so hard to make this possible,” Boucher said.
— Gareth Henderson
