MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - Vermont is now in its next phase of vaccine distribution, with people ages 55 to 64 with certain high-risk health conditions eligible to sign up for the shots.
Registration for vaccine appointments opened on Monday. The eligible conditions, such as heart disease and diabetes, are listed on the Health Department’s website.
Vermonters ages 16 to 53 with those conditions may register for appointments next week.
This week, the state is also expanding vaccines to teachers and school staffers, more public safety employees, and Corrections Department staffers who work in prisons.
The Vermont Health Department says teachers will get information from their employers about how to register for vaccines and when they will get inoculated.
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UK VARIANT
Vermont health officials have confirmed the detection of the COVID-19 variant first detected in the U.K., the health department said Monday.
The detection was not unexpected, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said in a statement, as it has been detected in most U.S. states by now. Nevertheless, he said, the variant was a concern because it can spread more quickly.
“The good news is that medical studies indicate the current vaccines are effective against this strain, and Vermonters should have confidence in the vaccines available,” Levine said.
He urged residents to maintain social distancing protocols and mask-wearing and encouraged testing.
The variant was detected in a specimen taken from a Chittenden County resident.
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NUMBERS
On Monday the Vermont Department of Health reported 113 new cases of the virus, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to almost 16,200.
There are 27 people hospitalized, with seven in intensive care.
The state has reported a total of 208 fatalities from COVID-19.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 116.57 on Feb. 21 to 126.43 on March 7.
The latest average positivity rate in Vermont is 1.58%. State health departments are calculating positivity rate differently across the country, but for Vermont the AP calculates the rate by dividing new cases by test specimens using data from The COVID Tracking Project.
The seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 1.48% on Feb. 21 to 1.58% on March 7.
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