MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Some 42,000 vermonters aged 65 and over could begin enrolling for their coronavirus vaccines on Monday. It comes when Vermont scores 100,000 people who have received at least one shot.
As with the rest of the age brackets, the first day of enrollment was predictably busy. But state leaders are excited by the numbers as new vaccines hit shelves this week.
In the first two hours, the state wrote in about 15,000 citations for Vermonters 65+. A relatively softer launch than in past weeks, in part, leaders said, because people created their accounts on time.
“I think it probably made things easier for people if they took that step because once you’ve set up your account, you can come in and schedule your appointment,” said Kelly Dougherty, the deputy commissioner for the Vermont Department of Health.
In addition, Vermont is picking up a new weapon in the fight against the pandemic: the unique Johnson & Johnson vaccine got the green light over the weekend.
State leaders will announce the exact details of the launch on Tuesday, but the pharmaceutical company is working to distribute about 20 million doses nationwide.
The shot has an effectiveness rate of 72%, lower than Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
But Dr. Tim Lahey, an infectious disease expert at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine, said it’s still incredibly effective.
“What we really care about in this pandemic is to keep people from dying and having to be hospitalized, and this pandemic is very good for doing that,” Lahey said.
The Johnson & Johnson clinical trial was conducted on three continents, while there were more infectious variants and there were no hospitalizations or deaths in any of the studies.
“The Johnson & Johnson vaccine was studied at a time when the most vaccine-resistant variants were more common, but they got a result that wasn’t as good, but it could have been if Pfizer and Moderna were tested on the same time, ”Lahey said.
And with its unique shooting format and not having to stay at a lower temperature like Moderna and Pfizer, it also has other advantages.
Providers say the new vaccine has the potential to reach rural areas of the state.
“The ability to push it more into rural areas and have more flexibility in how to store them makes things a little easier and removes additional barriers to getting to Vermonters,” said Jonathan Billings, of Northwestern Medical Center.
State leaders will unfold the exact details of how the new vaccine will be distributed and how much we will get on Tuesday in its periodic pandemic briefing report.
As for the age range, the health department estimates that we will move to 18-65 years with underlying conditions later this month.
For those over 65, you can click here to register online or call 855-722-7878.
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