State: Vaccination slots remain for 75+ age group
A scenic view from Cloudland Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Most Vermonters age 75 and older have signed up to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, but state officials are urging those who haven’t done so to lock in their appointment.
Online and phone registration opened up on Monday for the 75+ age group, and as of Thursday night, 32,556 of the 49,000 Vermonters in that group were registered, according to the state.
“I’m very satisfied, to date, with the number of people who’ve signed up,” said Gov. Phil Scott at a Friday press briefing.
To register for a vaccine appointment, Vermonters can go online at healthvermont.gov/myvaccine or call 855-722-7878. Officials emphasized there were still plenty of appointment slots available across the state for those age 75 and up.
That group is the first “age band” in Phase 2 of Vermont’s vaccination rollout. This phase includes three age bands: 75+, 70+ and 65+. The state expects that entire group — age 65 or older — to receive the first dose of the vaccine by mid-to-late March. Many in this group will have received the second and final dose by that time as well, according to Human Services Secretary Mike Smith.
That time frame will move up if the state receives more vaccine doses from the federal government, Smith said at Friday’s briefing. It turns out that the state received an additional 1,350 doses this week, over and above its regular weekly allotment. The top priority for those additional doses will be to increase appointments for counties with limited appointments for ages 75 and above, which includes Bennington, Lamoille and Orange counties.
So far, Smith said, the state was pleased with how the rollout was going overall.
“We hope to receive 10,375 doses for the next two weeks,” Smith said. “We will work to add vaccination sites to areas where there are longer drive times.”
Also on Friday, he said the “primary objective” of the state’s vaccination program is to prevent wasted doses.
“If, as a last resort, a vaccine has to be administered to a person not eligible in order to prevent waste, local health clinics have been given the permission to use Vermont common sense and fairness in not wasting doses,” Smith said.
An issue arose earlier in the week at Springfield Hospital, where hospital officials reported to the state that 860 vaccine doses had been refrigerated at a “slightly higher” temperature than recommended, according to Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine. The hospital initially feared the doses may have to be discarded, but after an extensive review of the situation, Levine said, Moderna determined that all the doses could be used.
“I’d like to emphasize that the conclusion was based on a deeper review of all of the facts,” Levine said. “We want the public to know they can have confidence in the vaccine and in Springfield Hospital.”
Levine said the state’s immunization program continues to work with the hospital to investigate vaccine storage issues. He also noted that vaccine wastage has been very rare in Vermont.
Since the COVID-19 vaccination process began, over 48,000 Vermonters have received vaccines, according to the state. A total of 32,952 have received their first dose, and 15,400 received their second dose.
For Phase 2, more vaccination appointments have been added in Bennington, Orange and Lamoille counties. Though availability varies, state officials said there are still openings in counties across Vermont.
Levine urged everyone to keep following public health guidance after their appointment, including wearing a mask and social distancing.
“Just because you got a vaccine, does not make you invincible. .... You might not be protected by the vaccine until a few weeks after your second dose,” Levine said, emphasizing, “Second dose.”
For those with upcoming appointments, Levine asked Vermonters to: arrive no earlier than 15 minutes ahead of your appointment; bring only one person if you need someone with you; dress warmly for the weather; and remember your mask.
In his remarks on Friday, the governor sympathized with Vermonters and said he knew many were anxious to get the vaccine. But he reiterated that the “age band” approach was focused on protecting those most vulnerable to the virus, who have also sacrificed a great deal. The current vaccination plan, he said, means a quicker path toward economic recovery.
“Masks and distancing will still be with us for a while,” Scott said. “But with a strategy focused on limiting hospitalization and death, we can both open up (the economy) more and keep people safe.”
As of Friday, Vermont was tied with Wyoming for the lowest COVID-19 infection rate in the country: 2%.
— Gareth Henderson
