MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermonters aged 50 and over are now eligible for making appointments to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The Vermont Health Department website began accepting appointments for people over age 50 at 8:15 a.m. and by the end of the business day more than 19,000 people had signed up.
Over the next three weeks, the age will drop for people eligible to make appointments to receive the vaccine.
On April 5, eligibility will open for people 40 and up. On April 12 the age will drop to 30 and on April 19 all Vermonters over age 16 will be eligible to be vaccinated.
Gov. Phil Scott says he believes that if the vaccine supply remains adequate, by July 4, once all adults have had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated, life in Vermont will largely return to a pre-pandemic normal.
“We need to get you vaccinated just as soon as we can and as soon as you are eligible,” Scott said Friday.
While Vermonters are waiting to get vaccinated they should be smart about limiting their interactions with others, wearing masks, keeping a distance from others and getting tested when not feeling well.
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NUMBERS
On Monday the Vermont Department of Health reported 137 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to more than 19,000.
There were 25 people hospitalized, including four in intensive care.
A total of 225 people have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 115.29 new cases per day on March 13 to 154.29 new cases per day on March 27.
The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 0.86 deaths per day on March 13 to 0.86 deaths per day on March 27.
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