Vermont ranks well in vaccine distribution, but poorly in Covid numbers

Data from the Centers for Disease Control indicates that Vermont’s vaccination program is going well.

The state is seventh in the country, with about a third of the population receiving at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, according to CDC data. The CDC is a little behind Vermont’s own reports via the Department of Health, which indicates that 35.1% of the population has received the vaccine.

The state is the 15th in the country for people fully vaccinated, or about 19% of the adult population. The full vaccination includes people who have received both doses of Pfizer and Moderna or people who have received the single dose vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.

At a recent press conference, Michael Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, touted the state’s high vaccination rate among older Vermonters: more than 80% of the population 65 and over have received at least one dose, placing the state in second place in the ranking. nation by this metric.

Vermont’s high rating for seniors is likely due to being one of the few states in the country that prioritizes its oldest population over any other group – including people with illnesses. at high risk and teachers, who did not qualify until March.

Although Vermont recently expanded vaccine eligibility, the state’s criteria are even tighter than many other states. Thirty-two states have allowed the general population under the age of 60 to be vaccinated, while 50 and over remains the current threshold for Vermont.

The case rises

Vermont’s high ranking for vaccine distribution is tempered by a record number of recent cases and signs of a growing wave of coronavirus statewide.

The state set its one-day high for Covid cases on Friday, with 251 cases, then followed with a total of 240 one-day cases, one of the highest in Vermont’s experience with the pandemic .

Officials said cases in young people were behind the growth in cases, with half of recent cases attributed to Vermonters under the age of 30. Only 12% of Vermonters aged 16 to 29 have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

The state, which often had the fewest cases of Covid-19 in the country last summer, now ranks 11th in the country in terms of case rate, with 25 cases per 100,000 population in the past seven days. Two neighboring states – New Jersey and New York – rank first and second, respectively.

Gov. Phil Scott, when asked about the growth of cases, said Vermont still sees success in its most important metrics: hospitalizations and deaths, which have been concentrated in the state’s oldest population – including most have now been vaccinated.

Hospitalizations are down from the state’s peak in January, when more than 50 people were hospitalized at a time. The state is now reporting 25 people currently hospitalized with the virus, including four in intensive care units.

But some statistics are less encouraging. Vermont killed a total of 225 on Friday, meaning the state has reported 18 coronavirus deaths so far in March.

That’s higher than the state’s forecast, which predicted seven to 15 deaths for the entire month of March. But it’s lower than the February total of 25 or the December total of 71.

Vermont still does well in another metric for determining the need for action: the test-positivity rate. While the number of cases has increased, the test-positivity rate remains below 2%, well below the benchmark of 5% for tighter restrictions.

Correction: This article has been corrected with the current age limit for vaccine eligibility in Vermont.