Updated Friday, Sept. 24, at 4:36 p.m.
State officials announced late Thursday that Vermonters age 80 and older will be able to sign up for Pfizer-BioNTech booster shots starting Friday at 8:15 a.m. Over the following week, eligibility for the additional Covid-19 vaccine will gradually be extended to those age 65 and older, according to Gov. Phil Scott’s office, and then to younger Vermonters with underlying medical conditions.
The state’s announcement came just hours after a key advisory committee to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that older Americans receive a third shot if they had previously been inoculated with the Pfizer vaccine.
That panel, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, did not agree with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that booster shots should also be available to frontline workers, such as health care providers, teachers and grocery store employees. But early Friday morning, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky overruled the advisory committee and recommended the additional dose to frontline workers.
Later Friday morning, Scott’s office said it would await guidance from the CDC as to which workers might become eligible due to Walensky’s decision.
In the meantime, the state is moving forward with scheduling booster shot clinics for its oldest residents. Appointments for such clinics will open up at 8:15 a.m. on the following days for the following groups, the governor’s office said:
- Friday, Sept. 24 — 80 years and older
- Monday, Sept. 27 — 75 years and older
- Wednesday, Sept. 29 — 70 years and older
- Friday, Oct. 1 — 65 years and older
Vermonters age 18 to 64 with certain underlying medical conditions — to be specified by the CDC — are also expected to become eligible for booster shots starting Friday, Oct. 1, Scott’s office said Friday.
Those who previously received vaccines manufactured by Moderna or Johnson & Johnson are not yet eligible for additional doses.
Upon becoming eligible, Vermonters can sign up for an appointment on the state Department of Health’s website. Those who haven’t been vaccinated through the state registration system, can’t speak English or require other assistance can call 855-722-7878 to register.
According to the governor’s office, those receiving boosters will not be required to prove that they are eligible but should bring their vaccine cards with them.
In addition to the state-run vaccine clinics, pharmacies and health care providers may also offer booster shots. Locations can be found on the Department of Health’s website.
State officials have been preparing for the CDC to take action. At the governor’s weekly press conference on Tuesday, officials outlined their plan to provide booster shots to residents of Vermont’s long-term care facilities and other high-risk residents as soon as federal authorities acted.
Secretary of Human Services Mike Smith said at the press conference that the state planned to deploy emergency management personnel and members of the Vermont National Guard to help dispense the shots.
“We have been actively planning for those that may qualify for boosters, making some assumptions so that we could be ready when approval comes through,” Smith said at the time.
In a statement Thursday night, Health Commissioner Mark Levine encouraged eligible Vemonters to take another dose.
“Even though COVID-19 vaccines currently available in the United States are highly effective, a booster dose gives your body extra protection,” Levine said. “Getting vaccinated — and receiving a booster shot when you are eligible — is especially important as the world continues to face the Delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19.”
