Good news!
- Vermont already hit its June 1 vaccination goal. Effective later today, we’ll move into phase 3 over two weeks sooner than scheduled.
- No longer a testing requirement for travel
- Capacity limit for indoor and outdoor gatherings will increase to 1 unvaccinated person per 50 square feet, which means up to 300 people indoors and 900 people outdoors plus any number of vaccinated people in either setting.
- Extending the Emergency Order for another month with changes.
- Mask mandate will be updated in accordance with CDC guidance announced yesterday. This means those who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks indoors or outdoors and no longer need to be concerned with social distancing.
- Vaccinations mean normalcy. As the CDC said, those who are vaccinated are protected and avoid spreading the virus.
- Vermont is receiving an additional 5,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine next week thanks to the new federal pooling system.
Secretary French’s Education Update:
- Vaccine clinics are opening at schools around the State for Vermonters in the 12–15 age group to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
- Walk-in appointments are available. Parental consent can be given on site in person, via vaccine consent form sent to the site with a child, or via phone call documenting consent.
- Observations from April survey data:
- Overall, in all grade levels, about 11% of students experienced remote learning in April, 35% were full in-person, and 54% were in hybrid. This means that about 89% of students were in some form in-person instruction during April, including full in-person or hybrid learning.
- The overall percentage of in-person instruction increased for all grade levels by 3% from March to April. Most of the increase came from the high school level, which doubled to about 17% of students receiving in-person learning. The 50% in-person instruction at the elementary school level remained the same.
- AOE is in the process of planning for full in-person learning and normal operations at the start of the next school year in September.
Secretary Smith’s Human Services Update:
- Following the CDC’s approval on Wednesday, 12–15 year-olds are now eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine. Over 7,300 Vermonters in this age group have made appointments with consent from a parent or guardian.
- Doses are available for walk-ins at most locations; however, eligible children in this age group may only walk in with a parent or guardian with a signed consent form.
- The Vermont Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics is hosting virtual forums for families to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents and answer any questions. This is an opportunity to speak directly with a community pediatrician along with your local Health Department’s school liaison and other partners. Find the list forums on the Health Dept. website or at www.AAVT.org.
- As of this morning 384,000 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19. 101,600 have received their first dose of the vaccine and 283,200 have received their first and last doses of a vaccine.
- Vermonters 12+ with at least one dose are at 71.6% of that population. All Vermonters with at least one dose are 63.2% of that population.
- There are many convenient opportunities to get vaccinated:
- On Saturday 7 locations will offer vaccinations, including Granville, Warren, Duxbury, Waterbury, Stowe, North Hyde Park, and Eden.
- We will be at four Windham county locations next week, including the Windham Town Hall on May 17, Winhall Fire Station on May 18, Londonderry Ambulance on May 19 at Deerfield Ambulance, and at Searsburg Town Offices on May 20. On May 21, the Lancaster Fairgrounds in NH will offer vaccinations to Vermonters. You can sign up online or call to make an appointment. There will be doses available for walk-ins at each location.
- On May 20, you can get a vaccine at North Beach in Burlington. This is a walk-in only event.
- Vermont Emergency Medical Services and Fire Departments will open their doors and offer vaccines to Vermonters on May 21, 22, an 23 at over 31 sites, including a walk-in clinic on Church St. in Burlington on May 22. These are walk-in only events.
- School-based sites will become available beginning on May 17. So far, we have over 100 clinics serving the 12–17 population, with over 66 of those hosted on school sites. There is a list of these clinics at www.healthvermont.gov/myvaccine.
- Families with children in this age group will be eligible to go to any site that offers the Pfizer vaccine.
- In partnership with the Vermont Chamber of Commerce and the Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing, the Vermont Department of Health will begin hosting walk-in vaccine sites for restaurant, hospitality, and tourism workers over the next week.
- The initial wave of clinics will take place at 7 locations, including restaurants, lodging properties, ski resorts, and other tourism attractions in Waterbury, Middlebury, Woodstock, Waitsfield, Windsor, South Burlington, and Warren. Each of these sites will offer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to workers on a walk-in basis. Dates, times, and locations are listed on the website.
Dr. Levine’s COVID-19 Update:
- Vaccination sites are “universally festive” in Vermont.
- Our daily cases continue in the same range, from the 20s to the 70s, 58 being reported today.
- Our new case rate is 64.7 per 100,000, compared with the national rate at 74.7 per 100,000.
- Positivity remains at 1%.
- 12 hospitalizations reported today; 2 in the ICU. 3 deaths recorded this month so far.
- The UVM medical center reported no COVID-19 in-patients as of yesterday for the first time since November.
- Fully vaccinated people can now participate in indoor and outdoor activities without wearing a mask or social distancing. Studies are showing 3 big things:
- (1) vaccines are over 90% effective in real world settings in terms of preventing mild and severe disease, hospitalizations, and death.
- (2) vaccines have proven effective over the virus variants now circulating in the U.S.
- (3) Those whoa re vaccinated are less likely to spread the virus.
- “Fully vaccinated” means two weeks have passed since receiving your final dose. Anything less than that means you need to continue following precautions.
- The new guidance does not apply to correctional facilities, homeless shelters, public transportation, anywhere where other safety measures are required by federal, state, local , tribal or territorial laws, including local business and workplace guidance. This also does not apply to children who are too young to be vaccinated (up to age 11) or the teachers they interact with in schools.
- Not every fully vaccinated will be ready to stop wearing a mask or physical distancing. The term “re-entry anxiety” has emerged after over a year of following safety guidance. Know that this is a transitional time and you will be protected when you’re ready.
- The COVID-19 vaccine is more effective at preventing the virus than the flu shot. Pfizer is safe for eligible children and parents should take the opportunity to get their children vaccinated.
Questions/comments:
- Will the State issue legal guidance for employers to navigate new mask rules?
- There will be a lot of “what ifs” that we don’t have the answers to at this time. We feel as though it is at the employers’ discretion to create their own rules and requirements. How they enforce their rules is another matter, but we’ve seen that Vermonters tend to comply.
- Can you explain the risk of exposure to kids under 12 who are not yet eligible for the vaccine?
- They’re part of the population who can’t receive the vaccine, so the guidance requires them to continue wearing masks. That’s one strategy to protect themselves from the virus and won’t be much of a departure from their current lifestyle.
- We’re hopeful, based on news from the scientific community, that it won’t be later than the fall when vaccines open to children in that age group.
- Why are you all still wearing masks?
- That has to do with the executive order and technicalities that have to occur before new rules take effect. Expect to see us without masks at Tuesday’s press conference.
- The 12–15 age group vaccine registration numbers are encouraging. The 18–30 age group is still a concern. They’re still not performing as well as they should. We’re still watching that and putting strategies in place to get Vermonters in that age group vaccinated.
- Florida bars are offering a “shot for a shot” deal to get people vaccinated. Do you encourage that?
- Something like that is up to the businesses. Vermont is the best performing State in the country overall and hasn’t had to use some of the extreme strategies other state have used to get people vaccinated at this point.
- Do you have an update on t he employment situation? Are people returning to work?
- We won’t have a current report on that until t his afternoon. Expect to hear more on Tuesday.
- What can vaccinated people do starting tomorrow?
- No masks indoors or outdoors.
- Gathering sizes increase indoors and outdoors.
- Governor Dwine is offering lottery tickets and other prizes to people who get vaccinated. Would you consider that?
- We don’t need to at this point. Offering rewards now would exclude people who have already done the right thing.
- There is a chance we can return to normal before July 4. The concern is the underperformance of the 18–30 age group. The sooner that age group’s vaccination rate increases, the sooner the State returns to normal.
- There seems to be confusing about what you’re requesting from the Legislature in terms of ARPA funding. Do you want the full $1 billion allocated in one package?
- I’ve been clear with the Legislature. My request is for them to give me a plan. We didn’t intend to spend it all in the first year, but we put a plan together that would really benefit Vermont in monumental ways. They want to spend half of it this year, a lot of which would be dedicated to filling budget holes and providing services for programs. This needs to be more transformative; its an opportunity to take a turn for the better with the amount of money we have. I’m looking for that vision from the Legislature.
- How do people prove that they’re vaccinated?
- The new rules will still operate on the honor system. This has worked well for Vermont so far and we’re going to have to live with it going forward. A business could ask a person to present their vaccination card, but the State is not advocating for that. This is just a transition period between now and July 4 when all restrictions are lifted.
- What is the future of these press conferences once restrictions are lifted?
- We would like to continue these briefings in some form; they’ve provided great access to Vermonters all over the State.