MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Gov. Phil Scott announced Friday that vaccine registrations for high school students ages 16 to 18 will open on Saturday, two days before the general window of more than 16 residents opens on Monday.
The governor says opening enrollment a little earlier for high school students gives them the chance to end the school year in person with further COVID protections. Registration for vaccination opens at 10:00 am on Saturdays and 16 and 17 years old require parental or guardian consent. Those under 18 will receive the Pfizer injection, which is the only one approved for that age group. The registration window for 16+ vaccinations opens as planned on Monday at 6:00 AM.
The state of Vermont has hit a milestone in vaccination: More than half of adults have now had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. Vermont health officials reported Friday that at least 51% received one dose, or nearly 93,000 people. It is estimated that 34.1% have completed all their doses, or more than 186,000 people. Bennington County leads the state at 56% and Essex County is behind at just 40%.
Following this week’s “hiatus” of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to rare blood clotting episodes, Vermont health officials said Thursday that appointments for those scheduled to receive that vaccine will now be canceled through Friday, April 23. AHS Secretary Mike Smith says it does. are working to reschedule those who have lost appointments by the end of this month.
COVID variants have now been discovered in 10 of the state’s 14 counties, but health commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says they are likely to occur in every county. The most common is the British variety.
The number of COVID cases in schools is on the rise. Vt. Education Secretary Dan French says schools see an average of 10 to 20 new infections per day. A recent survey of 85% of the state’s schools found that 55% use a hybrid model, 33% in-person, and 12% still remote.
French says students who are still learning from home get $ 120 / month of federal food benefits. The families of hybrid students will also continue to receive food money to replace free or reduced lunch for eligible students. It comes in an EBT card and affects approximately 33,000 students. Eligible households will be notified and benefits should begin on April 29.
French said the state is optimistic that districts can hold year-end events such as graduations and proms.
The governor extended the state of emergency for another month and empowered him to draft COVID rules until May 15.
The number of COVID deaths in the state is on the rise. Another nine Vermonters died in the past three days, bringing the total death toll to 242. On Friday, Vermont health officials reported 141 new cases of coronavirus, out of a total of 21,803. The percentage of positive seven-day state average is 1.9%. A total of 370,019 people have been tested and 18,040 have been recovered.
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