Vermont health officials look to “get as many doses as possible into students’ arms before the holiday break” as the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is now available for children, ages 5-11.
Pfizer vax registration available for children ages 5-11
Employer-mandated vax unlikely for “many months”
Formal FDA approval of the Covid-19 vaccine is “many months” away, Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine said at the press conference today.
Today’s News: Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Levine unaware of any new cases at Irasburg church / state to text ‘close contacts’ / Legislature on the brink, Dem. Rep. says / VT to reduce rooms & meals tax as proposed in NH?
Levine unaware of new cases at New Hope Bible Church
Responding to an inquiry by Ed Barber of the Newport Daily Express, Levine said “I can’t say that with certainty. I’d have to look into it. I hope there aren’t, honestly.” (To which Barber replied, “I understand that.”)
Health Dept. to text close contacts; vaccination priority announced
If you get a text from the number 86911, it’s the Vermont Health Department calling. Message: you’ve been exposed. Quarantine immediately.
National experts question social bans like Vermont’s
Gov. Phil Scott and Health Commissioner Mark Levine say data and science support the need to ban multi-household gatherings. But epidemiologists like Julia Marcus of Harvard University and other public health leaders say the data does no such thing, according to the November 23 New York Times.
Covid-19 update: No Vermonters on ventilators. School sports postponed. Truancy up. Survivor immunity uncertain. Statewide recovery could take a year
Vermont’s recovery from the pandemic won’t be over when the vaccine arrives next month, Scott cautioned. “This is going to take many many months….it could be up to a year,” Scott said. Levine said the optimists put the recovery date at spring 2021, the pessimists say late summer. “We’ll all have to practice masking and social distancing for a long period of time….into the spring, for sure,” he said.
Irasburg church, VT Health Department at odds over facts
Friday, the Vermont Health Department issued a press release claiming an attendee had tested positive and urged anyone who had contact with the person to get tested. The press release and subsequent media coverage prompted Pastor George Lawson of the New Hope Bible Church to investigate. He determined that not only was the person not present, but also had been tested three times – each time with negative results.
