Vaccine Update

On Friday, January 15, 2021, Vermont announced their large-scale vaccination plan. Here’s what you need to know:

• Starting Monday, January 25, Vermonters who are 75 and older will be able to schedule their vaccination online and by phone with the state.
• The website and phone number will be released on or before January 25, and will not work until January 25.
• High call volume is expected and Vermont residents are encouraged to schedule vaccine appointments online.
• The state warned that the process may be slow, as the number of vaccine doses they are receiving is still limited to 8,800 per week. 
• Southwestern Vermont Medical Center (SVMC) is working within the state’s system to vaccinate local residents.
• Everyone is required to schedule a vaccine appointment through Vermont’s system. No walk-ins will be permitted. 
• People who are aged 75 and older, who live in nearby New York and Massachusetts, and who are patients of a practicing Vermont primary care provider can schedule a vaccination.
• After most Vermonters 75 and older have been vaccinated, the state will move to the next age group of 70 and older and then 65 and older. Once people 65 and older have been vaccinated individuals with chronic and high-risk medical conditions are next. Those include (but are not limited to):
  • Current cancer
  • COPD
  • kidney disease
  • Down’s syndrome
  • Heart failure, cardio myopathies, and coronary artery disease
  • Immune compromised, due to organ transplant, for instance
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Pregnancy
  • Severe obesity
  • Type 2 diabetes
• Special efforts are being made to communicate information and provide access to minority populations who are at higher risk of severe illness and death, including black people, indigenous people, and people of color.
• Those who are homebound will be accommodated with the help of emergency responders and home health agencies.
• If you have questions, SVMC’s COVID-19 Information Hotline is available at 802-440-8844, but the nurses staffing this line cannot schedule or assist in scheduling a vaccine.

If you don’t already receive it, please sign up for our e-newsletter to get the news of vaccine availability as soon as it is available. Share the subscription link with friends and family who would also like to be the first to receive vaccine and other local health information.

Trey Dobson, MD, is the chief medical officer for Southwestern Vermont Medical Center.