Vaccination rollout in Vermont hindered by federal distribution

by

MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Governor Phil Scott said Tuesday that Vermont is in the top countries in terms of rolling out the coronavirus vaccine, but admitted that more needs to be done to get more people vaccinated faster.

Vermont has received 30,000 doses and administered 17,653 to date. That is the seventh best rate in the country and twice the national average. As of Tuesday, the state is a quarter of the way through Group 1A – health workers and long-term care facilities. Although Scott says the state is on the right track, we still have a lot in hand. “I think we’re doing pretty well, but we can do better and we’ll do better,” said Scott.

Health officials say there is a delay in getting the vaccine to Vermonters’ arms, as they can’t schedule vaccine appointments until the vaccine arrives. And with ongoing supply chain issues at the federal level, they can’t schedule appointments as far away as they’d like. ‘Now if you look at a statistic, it looks like none of those doses have been used. And as each day goes by, only a quarter of it will be used, so it looks like we are lagging behind, ”said Vt. Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine.

And more vaccines could come. The AstraZeneca vaccine is approved in the UK and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine could arrive by the end of the month. Once Vermont has a steady supply, Scott says a widespread vaccination campaign can begin. “We will increase our efforts to distribute the vaccines as soon as possible. And it would be helpful if we knew what that supply chain looked like and we knew how much we would be getting each week on a consistent basis, ”said Scott.

And as vaccinations increase, Levine says they’re keeping an eye on the more contagious variant of the coronavirus – B117. There is no evidence that the new species is more deadly, but he says it could spread faster and put more Vermonters in the hospital. Levine says he disagrees with plans in the UK to give just one chance to get more people vaccinated. He said that would be “off-label” use and he fears it will not be as effective as two doses.

The state is still working on its next-stage vaccination plan for people 75 and older and those with health conditions such as heart disease, emphysema, COPD, cancer, and those who have received an organ donation. Levine urged people not to call or write, and that Vermonters know when it’s their turn.

OFFICIALS URGENT TESTING FOR THOSE WHO DID NOT FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES

Gov. Scott and Levine urged Vermonters who may not have followed COVID guidelines while on vacation to get tested now to avoid a possible virus spike in the coming weeks.

“We try to prevent people from pain and suffering. we’re focused on saving lives, ”said Scott.

To get tested, individuals can call their healthcare provider, visit a participating pharmacy or emergency care facility, including Kinney Drugs, Walgreens, and ClearChoice, or register for a test at one of 15 locations on the health department’s website.

DATA SHOWS HOLIDAY TRIP TO VERMONT REACHED PANDEMICALLY HIGH

While COVID cases continue to increase across the country, Vermont officials are also seeing trends in the Northeast. COVID-19 cases are up 20 percent last week, with 176,000 new cases reported.

The latest state modeling shows that it is not just about the number of cases, but also about hospital admissions. They are up 85% in the Northeast since December 1 and up 13% since Christmas. Those numbers, exacerbated by vacation travel, are a major concern. Although travel to Vermont for the holidays was cut in half, it is still the most travel to the state from any point during the pandemic to date.

Vermonters who live in ski resorts tell WCAX that they are seeing more and more out-of-state visitors, and they fear those visitors aren’t always following health protocols. When asked about that Tuesday, Governor Scott said there is no conclusive data pointing to a link between ski resorts and rising COVID-19 cases in southern Vermont, and it is up to the resorts to enforce the rules. “While we are concerned, we are monitoring the situation – very difficult in some ways to ramp up enforcement,” he said.

Vermont is also bracing for a rise in the number of cases, with estimated active cases in the state going back to where it was in early December. “We are now 11 days away from Christmas and we need more time to understand the potential impact of that event, plus another 10 days to see the full impact of New Years Eve,” said DFR Commissioner Mike Pieciak.

And while it’s too early to know the impact of the holiday, health department contacts have taken note of some cases related to holiday gatherings. Depending on how well Vermonters complied with the rules, the state could see a spike in late January with an expected average of 200 cases per day. Or, without a spike, cases can stay flat at about 100 a day for the rest of the month. Commissioner Levine says they should have a better idea of ​​which road the state is taking on Friday.

On Monday, Vermont health officials reported a daily count of 165 new coronavirus cases out of a total of 8,038. A total of 149 people were killed. The percentage of positive seven-day state average is 2.8%. A total of 719,758 tests have been conducted, 307 travelers are checked, 11,885 have completed the monitoring and 5,463 have been recovered.

Copyright 2021 WCAX. All rights reserved.

.Source