MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Gov. Phil Scott on Friday announced that the registration of vaccines for 16- to 18-year-olds in high school will open Saturday, two days before the general window for 16-year-olds and older opens on Monday. .
The governor says opening enrollment to high school students a little earlier will give them the opportunity to finish the school year in person with more protections against COVID. Registration for the vaccination will open at 10 a.m. Saturday and 16- and 17-year-olds will need permission from their parents or guardians. Children under the age of 18 will receive the Pfizer shot, which is the only one approved for this age group. The registration window for more than 16 vaccines will open Monday at 6 a.m. as planned.
The state of Vermont has reached a vaccination milestone, as more than half of adults have now had at least one dose of the COVID vaccine. Vermont health officials reported that on Friday at least 51% had received a dose, or nearly 93,000 people. It is estimated that 34.1% have completed all their doses, or more than 186,000 individuals. Bennington County leads the state with 56% and Essex County remains on track, with only 40%.
Following this week’s “break” in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine due to rare episodes of blood clotting, Vermont health officials said Thursday that appointments for those scheduled to get the vaccine will be will be canceled until Friday, April 23rd. AHS Secretary Mike Smith says he is working to get those who missed appointments rescheduled later this month.
Variants of COVID have now been discovered in ten of the state’s 14 counties, but Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine, says it’s likely to be in every county. The most common is the UK variant.
The number of COVID cases in schools is increasing. Vt Education Secretary Dan French says schools see an average of 10 to 20 new infections a day. A recent survey of 85% of schools in the state found that 55% use a hybrid model, 33% are face-to-face and 12% are still remote.
French says students who are still learning from home will receive $ 120 a month in federal food. Families of hybrid students will also continue to get money to eat to replace free or reduced lunch for eligible students. It will come with an EBT card and will affect about 33,000 students. Eligible households will be notified and benefits are expected to arrive on April 29th.
French said the state is optimistic that districts can hold year-end events such as graduations and graduations.
The governor extended the state of emergency one more month, granting him authority to set COVID rules until May 15.
The number of deaths by COVID in the state is increasing. Nine more vermonters died in the past three days, bringing the total number of casualties to 242. As of Friday, Vermont health officials reported 141 new cases of coronavirus for a total of 21,803. The state’s seven-day positive percent average is 1.9%. A total of 370,019 people were tested and 18,040 were recovered.
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