Innkeepers are a busy bunch. To save you time, VLA attends Governor Scott’s Covid-19 press conferences and takes notes for you. Below is the summary from 11.30.21.
Hospitalizations due to Covid continue to trend up in Vermont, with ICU numbers up 30% since last week. Additional ICU and sub-acute beds have been added, and UVM is planning on adding more beds. Commissioner Pieciak said that cases are expected to rise in the next four weeks, but it is unclear as to whether there will be a surge on top of the historically high numbers from the past few weeks.
Governor Scott asked the press to focus on reporting the importance of wearing masks indoors in public spaces, as opposed to focusing on the “divisive mask mandate issue.”
NOTES:
- Governor Phil Scott:
- If you gathered over Thanksgiving – get tested. In Vermont, there’s more testing than any other state.
- Expect to see an increase in cases after the holiday.
- Omicron variant has started circulating – cause for concern, but not panic. Still a lot we don’t know – not going to speculate, but will watch it closely. Getting booster is key.
- If you get booster in the next week – will have optimum protection by Christmas. Kids with second dose will have optimum protection as well.
- Commissioner Mike Pieciak:
- Reporting delays due to Thanksgiving. Anomaly in data.
- Expect cases start to rise again this week – back to where they were, or a surge on top of that.
- Hospitalizations high and trending up.
- ICU numbers gone up – increase of 30%.
- Those unvaccinated going to hospital at the highest rate.
- Hospitalizations up across New England.
- Vermont has strong uptake of booster. Those fully vaccinated with booster are going to hospital at much lower rate – those unvaccinated with Covid have 13.5 times higher chance of being hospitalized.
- Fatality numbers trending down.
- Forecast – don’t expect cases to go down over the next four weeks.
- Vermont national leader in vaccinations for kids 5-11.
- Secretary Dan French:
- Schools continue to expand Test to Stay – currently 43 school districts enrolled – number continues to grow. 24 Independent Schools enrolled.
- 112 schools testing. Hearing it’s going well – saving instructional days.
- Using federal funds to have temp staff in schools to implement Test to Stay and other testing. 21 staff have been sent to districts so far.
- 2,500 take-home PCR tests sent to schools.
- Grant award program for schools who have high vaccination rate – details coming soon.
- Secretary Mike Smith:
- 19,358 kids 5-11 have received first shot – over 40%.
- Bringing additional sub-acute beds online.
- ICU beds – added 1. UVM will add 5. Other additional beds will be online as needed.
- Self-administered tests went well on Wednesday. LAMP test – deployed on Wednesday as well – 1,130 tests processed. “Have learned a lot.” A few challenges. A couple hundred didn’t get results until Friday. Wait times as technology was learned.
- Lab error at UVM last Wednesday – 16 negatives were positives, 8 positives should have been negative – and 6 negatives should have been inconclusive. Fixing processes to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
- Contact tracing – asking people to reach out immediately to contacts, rather than waiting for Health Department to call. Contact tracing will continue. 156 full-time contact tracers working.
- Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine:
- Close contacts – determine infectious period – 48 hours before symptoms or positive test. Report results of home tests to Health Department.
- High hospitalization rates in Bennington and Rutland counties.
- Ordering and deploying doses of monoclonal antibodies.
- Omicron – has some features that are concerning. Appears to be more infectious. Still many unknowns. Hasn’t shown up in Vermont yet.
- 20% of cases are kids 5-11.
- Must do better with booster. Should be primary strategy in preventing serious outcome.
- FDA advisory committee to meet on anti-viral Merck pill.
- Questions:
- Scott: Having the continued debate about a mask mandate is making the problem worse and dividing people. Wear one indoors in public spaces. Get vaccinated. Get booster and continue to test.
- Scott: We believe that we can handle another surge. Have 100-105 ICU beds. 25% now are ICU beds.
- Smith – Have opened up 80 sub-acute beds. UVM moving in direction of expanding ICU capacity.
- Dr. Levine- Hard for me to believe that someone in the US doesn’t have Omicron. It’s in Canada.
- Dr. Levine – 73 cases and 2 deaths at Crescent Manor Nursing Home in Bennington – have administered monoclonal antibodies – provided staffing support. Facility is reflecting the community. Community transmission is high.
- Scott – Asking media to focus on getting people to wear masks, rather than focusing on the division over the mask mandate. If you could report on the benefit of using masks in public places while indoors that would be helpful.
- Re: relaxing Open Meeting laws: Scott – Can’t do anything about that without a state of emergency – but legislature can address.
- Plan to provide rapid at-home tests for people? Scott – Working on an initiative. Program in NH providing test via Amazon and NIH – so reached out to them and are looking into it.
- Smith – Working with White House to talk about bringing additional antigen tests. Supply chain is the issue. Asked for 250K – but would only last us a month.
- Former Commissioner Harry Chen came out with a commentary saying that Vermont needs a mask mandate… Scott- Have a lot of respect for Dr. Chen. From my standpoint – having a mask mandate doesn’t make it so. People who want to wear masks are wearing them…creating a controversy through a mask mandate hardens both sides. Let’s focus on the area that we agree.
- Dr. Levine – I’ve talked to Health Commissioners in states that have the mask mandates now and they say that it’s very different now. Compliance is very difficult. A lot of dissension – population is in a different place. Masks are a reminder of something they want to move on from…if you have four families over to your house – that’s a much riskier environment than walking through a store.
- Have you looked into whether removing tax on military pension benefits would provide greater law enforcement workforce? Scott – Haven’t done analysis – but have been promoting for years. One of only 10 states not doing this. Certainly need more works – certainly some with military background would be interested in law enforcement.
- Scott – We need people to report those who have done acts of kindness -want to report and enhance. Let us know.
- Economic effects of Omicron? Scott – Time will tell. Don’t want to speculate. Markets are hypersensitive right now. Let’s get the facts before we jump to conclusions.
- Why is Test to Stay for only 5 and up? French – are looking to expand to 4-year- olds. Testing is the tool going forward. Working on actively this week – logistics issues.
- Scott – Have reached out to FEMA what is possible ( administering monoclonal antibodies, step down beds). But they’re stretched.
- Smith – Likely can’t expect much from them.
- Can you imagine quarantine camps in Vermont? Scott – Not on table from my perspective.