By Patrick Mcardle
Staff Writer
Following direction from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state officials, including Gov. Phil Scott, said some Vermonters are eligible for booster vaccination shots but added they’re not certain when boosters will be available for all or when vaccinations will be available for children younger than 12.
Scott said the state was not changing its recommendations at this time or adding new restrictions or guidance.
During the weekly news conference hosted by the governor and members of his administration, Scott said he had seen some misinformation that suggested state officials were not recommending that students returning to in-person schools wear masks.
“When school opens, we’re asking all students, all teachers and all school employees to wear masks for the first two to three weeks of school. They should stay required for all those not yet eligible for the vaccine, that means kids under 12,” he said.
The state will lift those requirements when the next eligible population hits a full vaccination rate of 80% or higher, the governor said.
Masking requirements, which Scott affirmed would be part of the school year, will be in place on school buses as they are on other forms of public transportation.
Scott said he sat in on the bi-weekly White House call on Tuesday with Dr. Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“Notably, Dr. Fauci said he was still hopeful the vaccine would be available for kids under 12 this fall though he couldn’t commit to an exact timeline. Dr. Fauci also said vaccines remain effective against the severe outcomes we talked about. He and Dr. Walensky talked about boosters for those with certain health conditions, saying this is meant to give an added layer of protection to those who are most susceptible and we may see this extended to everyone,” Scott said.
Mike Smith, secretary of the Agency of Human Services, read a list of pop-up clinics that will take place in Vermont soon. He said those clinics, as well as commercial pharmacies in Vermont, are expected to be ready to provide booster shots within the next week. Patients are expected to “self-attest” that they qualify.
The boosters are currently recommended only for those who received Pfizer or Moderna vaccines but not the Johnson & Johnson shot.
Dr. Mark Levine, commissioner of the Vermont Department of Health, said the CDC has recommended that “people whose immune systems are moderately to severely compromised” get a booster shot at least four weeks after they have gotten both shots in a two-vaccine series.
“This isn’t really considered to be a booster. It’s really meant to provide an opportunity for those in the immuno-compromised group to mount a sufficient immune response,” he said.
The eligible group under the current CDC guidance is about 3% of the population, Levine added.
They include people who have been actively treated for some tumors and cancers, people who have had organ transplants and who are taking immuno-suppressive therapy and people with advanced or untreated HIV.
“You may still ask yourself, ‘Am I in any of those groups?’ So it’s very important, if you have questions about your own status, you talk to your own health care provider about your medical condition and treatments and whether an additional dose of the vaccine is important for you,” he said.
According to Levine, the current list does not include patients who used to be listed as having “high-risk conditions” like heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Levine said because patients will be self-attesting that they are eligible for the third shot, he expects that people who don’t qualify may be able to get another shot if they make the request. However, Levine said Vermont officials have noted they are “getting signals from the Biden administration that planning is underway, in the next one to two months, regarding boosters for the entire adult broader population.”
Levine said he would expect the recommendations would follow the pattern of the first vaccine rollout, starting with health care workers, those who live and work in long-term care facilities and older Vermonters before moving to the general adult population.
Scott said Vermonters should remember the state is still doing well in responding to COVID with more than 85% of eligible residents having received at least one dose of the vaccine.
“We’re not Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi or any other states with significantly lower vaccination rates and significantly higher hospitalizations than Vermont,” he said.
Scott added that Vermont has the lowest hospitalization rate in the country. Levine said there are no pediatric patients in Vermont hospitals for COVID.
patrick.mcardle @rutlandherald.com
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.