Vt. vaccine sign-ups expand to ages 16-18
Cars roll along Route 4 by the Ottauquechee River in Bridgewater, Vt. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Friday was a day with important news to announce, but the state of Vermont’s press briefing wasn’t all formality. There was a moment of levity in the question-and-answer session, when a reporter asked about the state’s catchy phrases, “Six-Foot Spaces, Masks On Faces, Uncrowded Places,” meant to promote public health guidance. Tom Davis, of Compass Vermont, wondered whether Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine was the creator of those rhymes.
“The answer is ‘no,’” Levine said, sporting a wide grin. “It takes a village to come up with things that are that powerful, and we have an excellent communication and marketing team who all contribute to that effort.”
“So it’s a product of Vermont?” Davis asked. Levine quickly confirmed, “Oh I would say. Yes.”
The more serious remarks focused in part on a change in COVID-19 vaccine eligibility. As of today, Vermonters ages 16-18 can sign up, as the state looks to accelerate the vaccination of the high-school population. All people age 16 and older become eligible Monday.
On Friday, Gov. Phil Scott announced the change, noting his priority of getting kids back to school. Pfizer is the only COVID vaccine approved for 16-18-year-olds.
“This step will help give those kids the opportunity to register for Pfizer doses two days early — which is their only option at this time — and possibly enjoy the end of the school year in a much more normal way,” Scott said.
Those younger than 18 will need to have a parent or guardian help them complete the registration. Vaccination appointments can be made by going to healthvermont.gov/myvaccine or calling 855-722-7878.
The governor also offered an update from federal officials on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. On a federal recommendation, Vermont paused administration of that vaccine this past week. Health experts are looking into six cases of rare a blood-clotting issue which occurred after taking the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. None of the cases are in Vermont.
On Friday, Scott said administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in Vermont will be paused for another week. This is to give health experts time to further investigate the issue, as about half of available Johnson & Johnson doses were administered in the past few weeks.
“They’ll be meeting again next week, where they will learn more and hopefully we’ll be able to return to distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine very soon,” Scott said. Further guidance from the federal government may not be available until late this coming week.
Though all adult Vermonters will be vaccine-eligible soon, Scott urged people to continue to follow the public health guidance, including mask-wearing and social distancing.
“It’s still important that folks follow the guidelines in place,” he said. “Doing so will help get us back to normal faster, help get our kids back to school, and more.”
— Gareth Henderson
