Walgreens’ surprise vaccine markings are filled, but seniors can still apply on Monday

Appointments opened before the expected date for Vermonters aged 65 and over to obtain the Covid-19 vaccine have been completed, officials said at a news conference on Friday.

Walgreens opened vaccinations for this age group earlier on Thursday than planned because of a larger-than-expected federal vaccine allocation, said Human Services Secretary Mike Smith.

“It was a higher quota than expected, but we knew that the supply was limited – I think there were about 4,300 doses,” he said. “So now Walgreens is packed and we knew very well that this would happen, given the size of the group.”

Walgreens is the beneficiary of a federal government pilot program to distribute vaccines directly to pharmacies, rather than to states. Governor Phil Scott said at a news conference on Tuesday that many governors were concerned about the lack of control over the program.

In response to questions on Friday about the confusion of some Vermonters about the last-minute launch, Scott said the infusion of doses from the pharmacy provided an “improvement” to the ongoing vaccine program. “It was a limited supply, but we wanted to get it out as soon as possible,” he said.

Smith said the state would be working to better coordinate with Walgreens about future quotas. “These pharmacy programs will be essential in terms of how we see our vaccination strategy in the future,” said Smith.

Vermonters aged 65 and over will be able to sign up for a vaccine appointment through the Department of Health website and the Walgreens and Kinney Drugs websites, starting on Monday at 8:15 am

[Read our updated FAQ: How to sign up for the Covid vaccine]

Almost 18% of Vermonters aged 16 and over received their first dose of the vaccine, including 72% of Vermonters aged 75 and over and 25% of Vermonters 70 to 74. Approximately 47,000 people received only the first dose and 51,000 received both doses vaccine, according to the Health Department.

To register for a vaccine appointment, visit healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine (preferred) or call 855-722-7878.

You will be asked to provide your name, date of birth, address, email (if available), phone number and health insurance information (if available, but not required).

Variants not found, but still a concern

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Test samples from the Burlington and Bennington areas have so far revealed no case of a variant of Covid in Vermont so far, said Dr. Mark Levine, Commissioner for the Department of Health.

Burlington found samples of variant Covid markers in his wastewater tests, but Levine said the state is trying to confirm the presence of the variant in individuals positive for Covid in Vermont.

“We continue to send samples from Burlington weekly to see if any of them show the strings, but Vermont is really one of the few states that has yet to find a variant in the PCR test we do,” he said.

A new variant has been found in New York City, and some evidence suggests that the vaccine will not perform as well in this variant, but Levine said “we just don’t know much about New York City’s yet because, literally, they just announced this week. ”

He said the next month could be a turning point in the fight against the virus, a “critical month” for everyone.

“We will have an increasing number of people with natural immunity and immunity mediated by vaccine, which will be a wonderful thing,” he said. “And we still hope to have the impact of the positive behavior change that occurred after the holidays.”

But these signs of positivity can lead to a false sense of security, with some states easing restrictions. “Most people in the infectious disease and epidemiology community don’t believe for a minute that we can facilitate everything we do every day,” said Levine.

“We must not relax because more people are being vaccinated,” he said. “We must realize that we don’t want to see more of these strains like those in New York; we could be very focused on trying to continuously follow the behavior patterns that we have been trying to practice for a little while. “

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Variants not found, but still a concern

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