Vermont was among the states affected by a faulty update to Windows servers that wreaked havoc around the world Friday morning, disrupting hospitals, airlines and governments.
At Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport, early-morning flights were delayed for hours as United, American Airlines, and Delta repaired their systems. The airport’s own services, which run separately from airlines, were unaffected.
Ultimately, none of the early-morning flights were canceled, though Aviation Director Nic Longo advised travelers to look up their flight’s status and expect delays throughout the day as airlines rebuilt their schedules.
A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Patrol said travelers should expect increased wait times at ports of entry, though the agency’s apps were unaffected.
Andrea DeLaBruere, deputy secretary for the Vermont Agency of Digital Services, said at a press conference midday Friday that “approximately 10% of state systems have been impacted.” She added that about a quarter of all issues had already been resolved and that she expected “the bulk” of all outstanding problems to be fixed by the end of the day.
“We are prioritizing security, public safety, flood recovery, vulnerable Vermonters in terms of how we bring things back online,” she said.
The University of Vermont Health Network was also heavily affected. While most procedures and appointments were continuing, with delays, some elective procedures and infusions were rescheduled, said Annie Mackin, chief network media relations officer for the UVM Health Network.
At UVM Medical Center in Burlington, the dental clinic was closed for the day. Outpatient phlebotomy was closed and unable to contact patients with appointments, but was later brought back online. Porter Medical Center in Middlebury and Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh had phone issues but were still seeing patients with appointments as usual as of noon.
Emergency departments remained open. A list of affected services can be found on the UVM Health Network website.
Still, Vermont dodged some of the worst effects. The state’s 911 system was not affected, said Eric Forand, director of Vermont Emergency Management, unlike 911 systems in Alaska, Virginia, and other states. The Vermont health department was unaware of any issues with EMS agencies.
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