Vermonters age 30 and older can make vaccine appointments starting Monday |
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Starting Monday, April 12 at 8:15 a.m., Vermonters age 30 and older will be able to make an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine.
Going online to healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine is the fastest way to make an appointment, and there are enough slots at sites throughout Vermont for everyone who is eligible.
Click on the “Make an appointment” button to use the Health Department registration system. If you prefer to make your COVID-19 vaccine appointment through a participating pharmacy, you can find links on the same page to Kinney Drugs, CVS and Walgreens.
Anyone who is unable to make their appointment online, or who needs to speak with someone in a language other than English can call 855-722-7878.
Vaccination sites are available around the state, and people can choose a nearby location when making their appointment.
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Vaccine appointments now open to Vermonters age 40 and older |
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By mid-afternoon Monday, more than 15,000 Vermonters age 40 and older had made appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine through the state registration system, the first day appointments opened to this age group.
You can still make an appointment by visiting healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine. There are enough slots at sites throughout Vermont for everyone who is eligible. You can check back for an appointment that may be sooner or more convenient for you, but if you do make a new one, be sure to cancel your original appointment so it will be available for someone else.
More than 40% of Vermonters 16 and older have now received at least one dose of vaccine, and we get closer to the “finish line” every day.
If you’re not eligible yet, your turn is coming soon! Vermonters age 30 and older will be able to make an appointment on April 12, and Vermonters age 16 and older, on April 19.
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State officials announce the Vermont Forward Plan — a path to reopening |
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Governor Phil Scott and other officials Tuesday outlined the state’s stepped plan to methodically and safely ease mitigation measures as more Vermonters are vaccinated. The roadmap — which is subject to change based on real time circumstances — offers Vermonters, municipalities, non-profits, and businesses the ability to plan with greater certainty for the months ahead.
“We’re in the last laps of this race and this plan shows how we can finish strong if we all do our part,” said Governor Scott. “We need Vermonters to look at this roadmap and recommit to following the guidance so we can finish this pandemic with the fewest lives lost; with our kids back in school before the school year ends; and take every one of the steps forward on the timeline. I’m personally asking all of you to do your part. Please, we need your help today as much as we did last year at this time.”
The Vermont Forward Plan uses vaccination rates as the key milestones for transitioning Vermont businesses to more general, universal guidance for preventing the spread of COVID-19, modifying travel guidance, and for when gathering size can increase between now and July 4.
“As we make progress in vaccination, we can now look forward to a time when Vermonters are largely protected from COVID-19,” said Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD. “But we cannot simply wait for this to happen. We have to make it happen. Our actions — to prevent further spread and get vaccinated — will allow us to gradually, and safely, go about our lives once again, as laid out in this plan.”
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Vermont’s new travel guidance requires testing, but no quarantine |
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Discussing the state’s new travel guidance, now in effect, Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, noted at Friday’s press conference that the CDC recommends delaying travel until you are fully vaccinated – especially now, when there are still high levels of virus spreading. But he urged anyone who does travel to or from Vermont to understand Vermont’s new policy.
“If you’re a visitor to Vermont, you’ll need to get tested three days before you come here. If the test is negative, you may come visit the state, armed with documentation of your negative result,” Dr. Levine said. Vermonter residents coming back to the state need to get tested in Vermont within three days of their return. Travelers’ return date counts as day zero.
While a quarantine period is no longer required for travel, Dr. Levine emphasized: “you should still be following the basic public health guidance.”
“That means if you have any symptoms, stay home and away from other people until you receive a negative test result,” he said. “Even if the test you got within the 3-day travel window was negative, if you start to not feel well, stay home and get another test. And of course, if and when you are out of state, abide by our universal guidance to stay safe and protected.”
“As the governor said Tuesday, we believe the testing strategy will be easy to follow with so much testing available to Vermonters, so we’ll see more compliance and catch cases a little earlier,” Dr. Levine said.
Dr. Levine also reminded students and families who may have school vacation coming up to review the new travel guidance and avoid large gatherings.
“Following the same basic prevention guidance is critical to a safe return to school afterward,” he said. “Help protect your family, your school and your community while virus spread is still high.”
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Share what getting vaccinated means to you for a chance to win $500! |
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The COVID-19 vaccine means something different to each and every one of us. Something we all have in common? Vaccines mean getting back to life and the things we miss.
Help us show why getting vaccinated is important! Submit your original videos, photos or written thoughts on what being vaccinated means to you — whether you’ve already been vaccinated or not. Select submissions will be featured in our new TV ad campaign and one lucky submitter will be picked at random to receive a $500 cash card.
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P.1 variant detected in Vermont COVID-19 specimen |
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Dr. Levine also said Tuesday that in addition to variants already identified in Vermont — B.1.1.7 and B.1.429 — we learned this week that the P.1 variant was found in one specimen.
The Broad Institute, a laboratory in Massachusetts that analyzes COVID-19 specimens from Vermont, sent 46 sequences from randomly selected samples. Of these, 23 were identified as variants of concern.
“The P.1 variant may be twice as transmissible, like the others, and may have implications for reduced susceptibility to monoclonal antibody therapy,” said Dr. Levine.
Information was not yet available about the county from which the specimen was taken, but Dr. Levine said Vermonters should presume the amount of COVID-19 variants are on the rise in all areas here as they are nationally. “One thing we do know now, from this and the other ongoing genomic sequencing results we are receiving, is that the variants are spreading throughout Vermont.”
“As I have said before, this is not unexpected, but it is a concern,” Dr. Levine said. “The variants we have found in Vermont spread more quickly from person to person. Faster than we can vaccinate people. This is why everyone needs to strictly follow guidance to prevent spread of the virus. To each take the important personal responsibility to keep illness from spreading and to limit the odds of more variants of concern from developing here.”
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If you have any symptoms, stay home and get tested for COVID-19 |
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Interviews with people who have COVID-19 indicate that some assumed they had a cold or a sinus infection, instead of first thinking they might have COVID-19. The COVID-19 virus is still circulating in our communities, and the only way to know if you have it is to get tested.
Remember that symptoms can sometimes be mild, such as a headache, cough, fatigue or a runny nose. So, if you have even just one of these symptoms, it’s best to get tested. It’s also important to avoid going to work, school or other places until you receive a negative result. COVID-19 is a highly transmissible virus, and this is how we can each protect our loved ones and our communities.
If you have symptoms, talk to your health care provider. They can refer you for testing.
Testing is also important even if you don’t have symptoms, since you can still have COVID-19 and not feel sick. If you don’t have symptoms and want to get tested, there are many test sites now available around the state. Registration is required.
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Additional resources about vaccination & more |
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Take care of your emotional and mental health |
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If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs emotional support, help is available 24/7:
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244,447 (44.6%) Vermonters have received a least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- 156,257 (28.5%) Vermonters have completed their COVID-19 vaccine.
Check out our Weekly Data Summary for an in-depth look at COVID-19 in Vermont, including demographics of people who test positive, outbreaks, and reported symptoms, hospitalizations and deaths.
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