Vermont reporters provide a roundup of top news takeaways about the coronavirus and more for Wednesday, Sept. 29.
1. Vermont Dept. of Health reports 104 new COVID-19 cases
Four more Vermonters have died from COVID-19, as the health department reports 104 new coronavirus infections Wednesday.
Vermont has now reported 34 virus-linked deaths since the start of September, now totaling 317 since the pandemic began.
Forty-four people are hospitalized with the virus.
Starting Wednesday, Vermonters 70 and older can sign up for a COVID-19 booster shot, but only if they previously had the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
By Friday, eligibility will open to those 65 and older, as well as Vermonters 18 and older who have underlying medical conditions.
— Matthew Smith
Gov. Scott says a state of emergency is still not necessary to control COVID-19
Gov. Phil Scott says Vermont can control the spread of the coronavirus without re-imposing a state of emergency.
New data shows the state's seven-day average of new cases is declining, although the rate is much higher than it was several months ago.
Scott says there's no need to re-implement the state of emergency that he declared in March of 2020.
"Staying home to stay safe would be one area that may drive down cases but it's not healthy — not healthy for the way we live, it's not healthy for our kids, it's not healthy for our elders," Scott said. "I mean, we have to learn how to mitigate this and not panic."
The state is encouraging people over 65 who have had both doses of the Pfizer vaccine to get a booster in the coming weeks.
— Bob Kinzel
Scott Administration reports close to 20% of state employees have not attested to being vaccinated
The Scott administration is urging more state employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
Recently, Scott issued an order requiring all state employees to be vaccinated, and those who refused would be required to a wear a mask at work, and be tested once a week.
Deputy Administration Secretary Kristin Clouser says roughly 1,600 state employees have yet to certify they've been vaccinated.
"There are close to 20% of state employees who have not attested to being vaccinated — and those employees have the option of masking and testing or there is a negotiated discipline if they refuse to mask and test."
At this time, Clouser says no state employees have challenged the administration's COVID-19 policy.
— Bob Kinzel
Positivity rate among highly vaccinated college students is at 1% — far lower than the state average
Vermont college students have one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates of any group in the state.
Mike Pieciak is the Commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation.
He says a new survey shows that 95% of the roughly 28,000 college students in Vermont are fully vaccinated, which has significantly reduced the number of new cases on campus.
"And I think it also is a testament to the effectiveness of the vaccine, particularly when you have really high vaccination numbers so overall definitely a success story so far in the 2021 fall semester for higher education institutions," Pieciak said.
Pieciak says the positivity rate for college students is less than one percent — which is considerably lower than the state average.
— Bob Kinzel
New York State vaccine mandate impacts health care workers in the UVM health network
New York State's mandate that all health care workers be vaccinated against COVID-19 is affecting health centers in the UVM Health Network.
The mandate went into effect Monday at midnight, and health care workers faced getting the jab or losing their job.
North Country Public Radio reports the Alice Hyde Medical Center, in Malone, New York, had 16 of its roughly 800 staffers dismissed for being unvaccinated — about 2% of its workforce.
Vice President for Nursing Operations, Tammy Reynolds, said the mandate only added more pressure to the job.
Our staff are exhausted each day they deal with COVID-19 increased volumes at work, they go home to support families. And now they have to choose between being vaccinated or losing their jobs.
About 35 exemptions for the mandate at Alice Hyde were granted.
Twelve staff at Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh were also let go for failing to comply with the mandate, less than 1% of the hospital's total workforce.
Fifty-two employees were granted exemptions to the mandate, most on religious grounds.
— Matthew Smith
2. Burlington City Council unanimously approves plan to spend almost $1 million to retain and recruit police
The Burlington City Council on Monday evening unanimously approved a plan to use just under a million dollars in COVID-19 relief funds to retain and recruit police officers.
The plan would offer $10,000 over three years to every officer currently on staff. New recruits would also receive financial incentives broken down into multiple installments.
The Burlington Police Department currently has 68 sworn officers. According to Acting Chief Jon Murad, those numbers are expected to continue to decline.
“We are losing officers rapidly, at a rate that frankly does begin to compromise what we can do," Murad said. "We already cannot provide the services that we have in the past.”
The police chief and Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger believe the plan is an important step toward “stabilizing” the department. The first installment of the bonuses will be dispersed on Nov. 15.
Community members weigh in
A small crowd turned out Monday to discuss the plan to allocate COVID relief funds to help retain and recruit police officers.
The council approved the use of $850,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to support the Burlington Police Department.
Steven Margolin was at the meeting. He told the council he believes the funding should go to support services.
"It is a gross misuse of that money and what we should be doing is funding public supports and systems that will enable us to address the concerns a lot of our neighbors have said here today,” Margolin said.
Along with new officers, the city council also supports bringing in more community-based support systems.
— Marlon Hyde
3. Pfizer submits data to the FDA regarding vaccine efficacy in kids 5 to 11
Gov. Phil Scott says Vermont is one step closer to having a COVID-19 vaccine for kids under 12 years old.
Vaccine-maker Pfizer says data submitted to the FDA on Tuesday shows that its vaccine for 5-to-11-year-olds is safe and effective.
Scott says he hopes the vaccine will win emergency use authorization approval this fall.
"This will be a game changer for kids, parents and schools and help limit disruptions caused by the virus," Scott said.
Scott says the state is already preparing to administer vaccines to young children.
Once it's approved, Scott says the Agency of Human Services plans to roll out vaccine clinics in schools and other community hubs.
Scott says the state will be ready to quickly distribute a COVID vaccine for young children as soon as the federal government approves it.
"Vermont will be ready to deploy pop-ups, school based clinics, and more including working with our pharmacy partners," he said Tuesday.
— Bob Kinzel
4. Gov. says he's been underwhelmed by the number of eligible Vermonters signing up for booster shots
Gov. Phil Scott says he’s been underwhelmed by the number of eligible Vermonters who’ve signed up for vaccine booster shots so far.
And he says, data presented to U.S. governors by Dr. Anthony Fauci earlier on Tuesday show the importance of getting a third shot.
"Dr. Fauci discussed the real-world data behind this decision, which shows a third dose has increased protection against infection by 11-fold.”
Registration for state-run booster clinics opened up to Vermonters 75 and older on Monday.
Starting Friday, Vermonters 65 and older can schedule appointments.
While the CDC recommends boosters only for older Americans, people with certain underlying health conditions and people in high-risk occupations, Scott says he wants to make boosters available to any Vermonter who wants one.
Scott says Vermont will take a more expansive approach to its booster rollout.
"I mean, we’ve reflected on this — we’re going to be quite lenient in terms of who should be included, and if they’d like to have a booster, we’d like to find a way for them to have it," he said.
— Peter Hirschfeld
5. Gov. says he'd consider extending emergency motel housing program beyond current deadline
Last week, Gov. Phil Scott agreed to a 30-day extension for an emergency motel housing program.
And he now says he’ll consider keeping the program in place even after the new deadline expires.
“We have to make sure that there’s units available, we have to see what the demand is, where we can put different people in different situations in different geographical areas,” Scott said.
He said during his weekly press briefing on Tuesday that his administration has been meeting with housing advocates.
He says motel housing is not a long-term solution for the homelessness problem.
And he says he’s working on alternative programs for people experiencing housing insecurity.
— Peter Hirschfeld
6. New program will provide antigen tests to students in Vermont schools in lieu of quarantine
Education Secretary Dan French says a new COVID-19 testing program means fewer students will have to miss school due to quarantine requirements.
The program, called Test to Stay, will provide schools with antigen test kits for students who come into close contact with a COVID-positive individual.
"Under test to stay, these individuals would still be allowed to attend school," French said. "But they would take an antigen test each day before entering the school building. They would do this each day for seven days after their last possible exposure.”
The Vermont chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a release on Tuesday praising the new initiative.
The organization says studies show that antigen testing is as effective as quarantining at mitigating the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
— Peter Hirschfeld
7. Republican National Committee to challenge constitutionality of non-citizen voting measures
The Republican National Committee is challenging the constitutionality of charter changes in Montpelier and Winooski that have allowed non-U.S. citizens to vote in local elections.
Gov. Phil Scott vetoed both charter changes earlier this year, but was overridden by the Vermont Legislature.
Scott says his reasons for opposing non-citizen voting are different from the RNC’s.
But he says he’s happy to see the issue go to a judge.
“This is now in the courts, probably appropriately, and we’ll come to conclusion on this based on what they say,” he said.
The RNC says the charter changes are “a blatant attack on election integrity.”
Scott says he isn’t opposed to non-citizen voting in principle, but he says Vermont should have a statewide policy for all municipalities.
— Peter Hirschfeld
8. Sen. Sanders urges Progressive House colleagues to reject bi-partisan budget deal
Sen. Bernie Sanders is urging his progressive House colleagues to defy Speaker Nancy Pelosi and reject a bi-partisan budget deal later this week.
Pelosi wants the House to vote on the smaller infrastructure deal, as the Senate considers a much larger budget package.
Ina press release, Sanders said voting for the smaller bill will "end all leverage that we have to pass a major reconciliation bill."
Sanders' approach is different from the one taken by Sen. Patrick Leahy, who criticized the attitude of the House progressives.
"People who are saying, 'If I don't get every single thing I want, I'm going to have to be against it' — I think that's immature and irresponsible," Leahy said.
House progressive leaders say, in order to support the smaller infrastructure bill, they want an ironclad guarantee from Speaker Pelsoi that the larger bill will be debated on the House floor.
— Bob Kinzel
9. New report shows ridership on New England public transit plummeted during the first 14 months of the pandemic
Ridership of public transit systems across New England plummeted during the first14 months of the pandemic, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
Vermont's Green Mountain Transit Authority reported a 56% drop in the first few months of the pandemic, compared to the previous year.
In the first few months of this year, the drop shrank slightly, but ridership was still down by 42%.
The report found that 60% of passengers on any given bus ride in Vermont had no other way to make that trip, highlighting the necessity of affordable and reliable public transit.
Overall, the study found ridership declined by more than 50% on most public transportation networks in New England, but most transit systems received enough funding to cover their operating budgets for between one and two full years.
— Matthew Smith
Abagael Giles compiled and edited this post.
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