Data from the Centers for Disease Control indicate that Vermont’s vaccination program is going well.
The state is seventh in the nation, with about a third of the population receiving at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, the CDC data show. The CDC is a little behind Vermont’s own reporting through the Department of Health, which says that 35.1% of the population has received the shot.
The state is 15th in the nation for people who have been fully vaccinated, about 19% of the adult population. Full vaccination includes people who have received both doses of Pfizer and Moderna or people who have received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
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 older have received at least one dose, placing the state second in the nation by that metric.
Vermont’s high rating for seniors is likely because it’s one of the few states in the nation to prioritize its oldest population over any other group — including people with high-risk conditions and teachers, who didn’t qualify until March.
Although Vermont has recently expanded vaccine eligibility, the state’s criteria are still narrower than many other states. Thirty-two states have allowed the general population younger than 60 to get the vaccine, while 50 and older remains the current cutoff for Vermont.
Case rises
Vermont’s high ranking on vaccine distribution is tempered by recent record-breaking case numbers and signs of a rising wave of coronavirus across the state.
The state set its one-day record for Covid cases Friday, with 251 cases, then followed that up with a one-day total of 240 cases, one of the highest in Vermont’s experience with the pandemic.
Officials said cases among younger people were driving the case growth, with half of recent cases attributed to Vermonters younger than 30. Only 12% of Vermonters 16 to 29 have had at least one dose of the vaccine.
The state, which often had the fewest Covid-19 cases in the nation last summer, now ranks 11th-highest in the nation in case rates, with 25 cases per 100,000 people in the last seven days. Two nearby states — New Jersey and New York — rank first and second, respectively.
Gov. Phil Scott, when asked about the case growth, said Vermont still sees success in its most important metrics: hospitalizations and deaths, which have been concentrated in the state’s oldest population — most of whom have now been vaccinated.
Hospitalizations are down from the state’s peak in January, when more than 50 people were hospitalized at any one time. The state now reports 25 people currently hospitalized with the virus, with four in the ICU.
But some statistics have been less encouraging. Vermont hit 225 total deaths Friday, meaning the state has reported 18 coronavirus deaths so far in March.
That’s higher than the state’s forecast, which had predicted seven to 15 deaths for all of March. But it’s lower than the February total of 25 or the December total of 71.
Vermont is still doing well in another metric for determining the need for action: the test-positivity rate. While case numbers have been rising, the test-positivity rate remains below 2%, well below the 5% benchmark for stronger restrictions.
Correction: This article was corrected with the current age cutoff for vaccine eligibility in Vermont.
