Vermont Edition

Health update: COVID-19 vaccines approved for under 5, Vermont testing sites close

By Connor Cyrus,

Published June 20, 2022 at 4:15 PM EDT

A pharmacist in a white lab coat readies a needle with a child's dose of the a COVID-19 vaccine on the arm of a small boy sitting on his mother's lap. — Pharmacist Kaitlin Harring administers a Moderna COVID-19 vaccination to three year-old Fletcher Pack, while he sits on the lap of his mother, McKenzie Pack, at a Lexington, S.C. Walgreens. This hour, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine will discuss vaccinations for children under 5, which became available in the United States for the first time this week.

COVID-19 cases are falling in Vermont heading into summer, a trend seen across New England. With the availability of home tests, health officials plan to soon close state-run testing sites. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved the first vaccine for children ages 6 months to 5 years over the weekend. This hour, we're getting a COVID update from Vermont's top health official.

Our guest is:

Dr. Mark Levine, Vermont health commissioner

Broadcast live at noon on Tuesday, June 21, 2022; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or tweet us @vermontedition.

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Connor Cyrus

Connor Cyrus joined Vermont Public as host and senior producer in March 2021. He was a morning reporter at WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island. A graduate of Lyndon State College (now Northern Vermont University), he started his reporting career as an intern at WPTZ, later working for WAGM in Presque Isle, Maine, and WCAX Channel 3, where he covered a broad range of stories from Vermont’s dairy industry to the nurses’ strikes at UVM Medical Center. He’s passionate about journalism’s ability to shed light on complex or difficult topics, as well as giving voice to underrepresented communities.

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Matthew F Smith

Originally from Delaware, Matt moved to Alaska in 2010 for his first job in radio. He spent five years working as a radio and television reporter, radio producer, talk show host, and news director. His reporting received awards from the Alaska Press Club and the Alaska Broadcasters Association. Relocating to southwest Florida, he was a producer for television news and NPR member station WGCU for their daily radio show, Gulf Coast Live. He joined Vermont Public in October 2017 as producer of Vermont Edition.

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Tedra Meyer

Tedra joined Vermont Public as a producer for Vermont Edition in January 2022. Before moving to Vermont, she was a journalist in New York City for 20 years. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.

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