GOVERNOR SCOTT COVID-19 PRESS CONFERENCE 1/24/2022

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 1/24/22.

Commissioner Mike Pieciak reported that Covid case rates in Vermont and the surrounding region have begin to decline. Cases in Vermont are down 30-40% from the preceding weeks. Pieciak added that modeling indicates that cases will continue to decrease, along with hospitalization rates. However, we are still averaging around 1,000 reported cases a day, so the administration continues to push vaccinations, boosters, and strategic testing.

Secretary French said that the school surveillance testing program will sunset over the next two weeks, but the state will continue to work with districts that want PCR testing available. School districts are transitioning to the Test to Stay program, which allows students who have been exposed to a positive Covid case to continue attending school with negative antigen tests. The tests will not be administered at school but will be supplied to the students’ family for use.

When asked about the Senate’s proposal to add $50 million to his pension investment proposal in the BAA, the governor responded that “the devil is in the details” and it is not yet clear to him that the additional investment makes sense and is sustainable. Scott also defended his budget proposal to distribute $45 million of the Education Fund surplus back to Vermonters, saying that Vermonters overpaid and that it is the right thing to do and will support affordability in Vermont. Both Scott and French said that the influx of federal funding coming into the state means that the education system is in “pretty good shape.”

NOTES:

  • Governor Phil Scott:
    • Trends in our region are encouraging but no guarantees.
    • Vermonters continue to step up and get boosted – have lowest hospitalization rates.
    • If our rate matched national rate – we’d have 250 people in hospital right now, but hospitals still facing stress.
  • Commissioner Mike Pieciak:
    • Cases in country have not seen steady decline that we’ve seen in Northeast.
    • Other places are seeing cases rise or not plateau.
    • Cases in New England down 18% over last week, down 45% last two weeks.
    • VT down 30-40%.
    • Cases continue to average over 1k a day.
    • Testing down 17%.
    • Fewer cases on campus this week – about 300.
    • Haven’t seen improvement in LTC facilities. 25 outbreaks, 225 active cases.
    • Anticipate that cases will come down over the next few weeks – happening more quickly than anticipated.
    • Anticipate seeing hospitalizations decreasing.
    • Seeing improvement in ICU numbers.
    • 11x difference in hospitalization for those fully vaccinated and boosted.
    • Flu cases requiring hospitalization has been low.
    • Increase in availability of hospital beds.
    • 523 Covid fatalities. 43 deaths in January.
  • Secretary Dan French:
    • Many school districts transitioning to Test at Home strategy.
    • Tests distributed based on vaccination status – vaccinated close contacts take home 2, unvaccinated take home 5. Nurses will have tests to do screening in schools with symptomatic individuals.
    • Shift in policy necessary due to speed of Omicron variant and resources required to implement previous policy.
    • Is dependent on supply of tests. Working to refine and distribute FAQs to ensure tests are distributed property.
    • Stopped updating school report on VDH website on January 10.
    • Sunsetting surveillance testing over next two weeks – will continue to work with schools who want PCR testing available.
  • Secretary Samuelson:
    • Continue to get as many people vaccinated and boosted and vaccinated – more than 50% of 5-12 are vaccinated.
    • Clinics across the state, and mobile clinics at events.
    • Distributed more than 1 million rapid tests since December
    • 400K to schools and childcare
    • Dec. to today – 300K PCR tests used.
    • Contact tracing – conditional tracing isn’t useful with Omicron.
    • Bringing health care staffing into VT, including National Guard.
  • Commissioner Levine:
    • Cases appear to have peaked in Northeast.
    • Case rates improving – corroborating evidence from Burlington wastewater testing.
    • Only a few ICU cases on ventilators daily.
    • 67% of Covid patients in hospital have gone in due to Covid.
    • Omicron seems much milder.
    • Have replaced slow, laborious, and increasingly ineffective policy of contact tracing. Change supported nationally. Due to shorter incubation, asymptomatic, or mild cases.
    • Contact tracing still done in high risk settings where it can still have an impact.
    • Will still be calling people who test positive.
    • Reach out to health care providers if you are at high risk and test positive.
    • Should we all get Covid and get it over with? No. Can’t predict who will get seriously ill, hospitals strained. Could still spread to others who are young or high risk. Still need more data on long Covid and how quickly you can get infected again.
  • Questions:
    • Second booster shot needed?
      • Dr. Levine- Talk of second booster shot in U.S. No timeline. Israel has gotten way ahead of the curve on this. But are still accumulating data.
    • If data is not complete because people aren’t necessarily reporting self-tests – can we rely on it?
      • Levine – Yes. Testing system consistent. Can look to hospital data. In excess of 5k positive cases reported from self-tests.
      • Pieciak – Wastewater testing confirmatory. Similar to what was seen in Boston.
    • What do we know about new variant?
      • Levine – Nothing. Not listed as a variant of concern at this point.
    • When will N95 be distributed?
      • Scott – on rolling basis.
      • Schirling – Don’t have info on that right now.
    • You proposed of using half of surplus in Ed fund to give money back to Vermont homeowners – people think that the $45 million should go back into education system?
      • Scott – Well, we spend $1 billion on education, we have a lot of money in relief money – ESSER 1, 2, 3. To invest in aspects of education. Vermonters paid too much – over and above what was needed. It should be returned to them – it’s the right thing to do. Affordability is an issue for us, and if we have an opportunity to make it a little more affordable by giving some back, we should.
      • French – Interesting dilemma to have for the Ed Fund. But there’s a lot of Fed dollars coming into the state – money is not issue with school construction projects – it’s finding workers. Have to balance needs with providing immediate relief to taxpayers who overpaid and the system. System is in pretty good shape relative to the federal dollars coming in.
    • Latest version of BAA? $50 million investment in pension fund?
      • Scott – $150 million set aside, they took another $50 million. Devil is in details and I don’t have any details on what this does. Don’t mind paying down debt and making investments – but want to make sure that this make sense – need to make sure that it is sustainable in the future and I don’t know if it is or not.
    • Reflection on passing 500 deaths threshold?
      • Scott – Didn’t expect three years ago… can be proud that we’re one of the best states in the nation in preventing death, but tragically have had too many deaths.
    • Fully vaccinated?
      • Levine – Shouldn’t use that phrase anymore – use fully protected and up to date… “fully vaccinated” is archaic. If you really want yourself protected, you need to be boosted.
    • What is number who haven’t been vaccinated or infected?
      • Scott – CDC has us at 95%. If you weren’t protected in some way – the last few weeks those unvaccinated got infected.
      • Pieciak – Just went over 100k infections – but under-reported. But not sure who would still have infection immunity.
    • Long Term Care facility info:
      • Levine – Seeing more cases in LTC facilities. Some of cases in staff. Cases in many of residents are asymptomatic or very mild symptoms. Not like beginning of pandemic re: severity and number of deaths.
    • Vermont high schools requiring EKGs for athletes who have tested positive for Covid?
      • Levine – Longstanding guidelines are ascertaining symptoms and risk of students to determine if EKG needed. Medical decision made between the health care provider and the student.
    • 80% vaccinated mask guideline pushed back to Feb. 28 – will be re-evaluated then.
    • French – If students test positive should not go to school. When supplies aren’t there – kids can attend school. New approach greater degree of safety. Have to balance safety with education needs of students. No telework policy for school staff.
      • Levine – If you are an unvaccinated student who has been exposed – they should test daily. If school doesn’t have tests – should reach out to VDH.
    • How should people change individual behaviors?
      • Levine – Preach against over confidence. For people fully protected, environment getting better. Discussing transition to endemicity. Time to start thinking about how that world will look.
    • Hospitalizations – anything administration can do to get hospitals through the next few weeks?
      • Samuelson – Invested in LTC facilities. Adding sub-acute beds. Using contract with TLC – staffing agency – to get into facilities. FEMA providing staff. Worked with National Guard – supporting hospitals to alleviate strain.
    • State expanding wastewater surveillance?
      • Levine – Yes – Federal initiative and we’ll be participating in that.