Vermont opened Covid-19 Pfizer booster registration to all eligible people Friday, including one newly announced category: Vermonters age 18 and older who are Black, Indigenous or people of color.
BIPOC Vermonters can get the booster shot if they received their second dose of the Pfizer vaccine six months ago or more, according to a press release from the state.
Data from the state Department of Health shows that Vermonters of color, particularly Black people, face higher rates of Covid-19 than white Vermonters. National data also shows that Black, Hispanic and Native American Covid-19 patients have higher rates of hospitalization and death.
The state hosted BIPOC-specific vaccination clinics in the winter and spring to help narrow the vaccination gap between BIPOC and white Vermonters, and opened eligibility for BIPOC of all age groups a few weeks before the general public.
But though the rate of vaccination among younger Vermonters is similar among all racial groups, there’s still a racial gap among older Vermonters: 91% of BIPOC Vermonters have received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared with 96% of non-Hispanic white Vermonters.
All Vermonters 65 and older, adults with high-risk conditions and adults at risk of exposure from their job are also eligible for the booster shot.
A list of eligible high-risk conditions is available on the health department website. The state has also shared examples of who may qualify for the booster because of their occupation, but there’s no hard list of qualifying jobs: Vermont is allowing anyone who works indoors with the public or with other workers to get the shot.
As of Friday morning, more than 4,700 people have signed up to get the booster, according to the press release.
About 8,500 Vermonters have received an “additional dose” of the Covid-19 vaccine beyond the original one or two, according to newly added vaccine dashboard data. That could include immunocompromised Vermonters who began getting the booster weeks ago as well as older Vermonters who signed up in the past week.
Hospitalizations rising
The state reported 48 people are in the hospital with Covid-19 on Friday, matching Sept. 21 for the highest number of hospitalizations during the Delta surge. That includes 10 people in intensive care units because of the disease.
It also reported 189 new cases Friday, bringing the seven-day average to 176, a slight decline from the previous day’s average.
The state added one new death to the data for September, bringing its monthly total to 38 deaths.
