Senior centers and adult day centers can reopen their programs in the coming weeks, officials announced at a press conference Friday.
“Social isolation has been a real problem during the pandemic for many Vermonters, especially for older adults, putting them at higher risk for poor health and outcomes,” Human Services Secretary Mike Smith said. “Opportunities for social connections such as healthy meals, exercise and group activities are key to older Vermonters’ long-term physical, mental and emotional health, and well-being.”
Adult day centers and senior centers have been closed for group activities since November, restricting their services to one person at a time, he said. Now, they will be able to open for group activities such as exercising and social events.
Guidance like masking and social distancing will remain in place, meaning that many centers will reopen with reduced visitation, Smith said. “We recognize that not all centers will open at the same time, and each center must determine their reopening date based on their site’s readiness,” he said.
The announcement comes as the state continues progress with its vaccination program, which has vaccinated 40% of Vermonters 16 and older with at least one dose, according to the Department of Health.
More than 80% of Vermonters 65 and older, the target of senior center programs, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, according to the DOH. Experts have estimated the herd immunity rate of Covid-19 to be from 50% to 70%, although some viruses have a herd immunity rate of more than 90%.
Long-term care centers began receiving the vaccine in December, allowing the state to reopen visitation and programs in those centers. But a recent outbreak at Vermont Veteran’s Home in Bennington has hit 10 cases this week.
Smith said that while 95% of residents have received the vaccine, only 40% of the staff of the facility have, leading to concern from residents and their family about case spread and lockdowns.
Mark Levine, commissioner of the Department of Health, held a town hall with staff at the facility to encourage them to get vaccinated, Smith said.
Vermont opened vaccine eligibility to people 50 and older on Monday, with 27,800 people registering under that age group. Another 3,000 people of color and their household members also signed up, Smith said. Vermonters 40 and older will be eligible to sign up Monday, April 5.
Rising case numbers continue
Gov. Phil Scott hoped to announce his blueprint for reopening Friday but chose to push the announcement to Tuesday to make sure “that we’re not missing something.”
“I don’t believe we are expected to see more cases, but I just want to make sure that they are at their expected levels and not escalating beyond what we expected,” he said.
The state reported 201 cases of Covid-19 Friday, creating a new record for its seven-day case average. Thirty-five people were hospitalized with the virus as of Friday, a rising number compared to the mid-20s level last week, Levine said.
“My optimism is for the future. The future is very near,” he said. “But when it comes to the present, frankly, I am very concerned.”
The state has reported new data on instances of the variant strains in Vermont, which have been detected in six counties: Caledonia, Chittenden, Franklin, Grand Isle, Rutland and Windham.
But Levine cautioned that variant detection is performed on only a handful of cases and may not capture the true extent of their spread.
Department of Financial Regulation Commissioner Michael Pieciak presented data showing that cases had been driven by an uptick among Vermonters in their 20s, particularly 18- to 24-year-olds.
Asked about why younger Vermonters were leading in Covid cases, Levine emphasized the importance of following public health guidance.
“It’s a socially more active time of life for all of them. So it’s not like they’re all misbehaving, and I don’t want to let that impression go too far,” Levine said. “But clearly, we do have evidence that not everyone is perfect.”
Younger Vermonters are a disproportionate number of college students, and colleges such as the University of Vermont have reported rising numbers and evidence of variants. That age group is also a high percentage of frontline service workers, such as those in retail.
He asked Vermonters to remain cautious this coming Easter holiday. “Consider an outdoor Easter egg hunt, instead of all eating in a closed space together,” Levine said. “I know this is difficult, but again, we’ve been at it for over a year. We just need to hang tough for a few more weeks.”