State inches closer to 80% vax goal

At 79.4%, officials are hopeful that threshold could be reached this week

By Polly Mikula

As of Tuesday, June 8, 79.4% of the eligible population in Vermont has received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, leaving just 3,139 to go before the state hits its goal of 80%. At that point all remaining restrictions will be dropped.

“There’s still dozens of free walk-in opportunities available every day across the state,” said Governor Phil Scott. “It’s never been easier to get your vaccination, so please help us get to 80% as fast as possible.”

Commissioner of Financial Regulation Mike Pieciak said the rate of new vaccinations has fallen the the past two weeks following Memorial Day weekend. The state had been averaging around 2,500 vaccinations per day in mid-May but that dropped off to an average of 1,000-1,500 per day since. Last Wednesday and Thursday, June 2-3, only 482 and 348 vaccinations were administered, respectively — the lowest daily totals yet. But on Saturday, June 5, vaccinations “rebounded nicely” to 1,760, Pieciak noted.

At the current rate, the state anticipates it will reach its 80% goal this week, but is cautious in its optimism. 

“We still need those who are resistant in some respects to dig a little bit deeper, to go to their friends, their neighbors, their family and get them to get their vaccinations so we can reach it sooner. We’re just 3,129 people away from accomplishing that,” Scott said.

“We’re now at the stage where instead of mass vaccination sites with hundreds of doses being administered each day we’re relying on pop-ups with a handful at a time, and that’s OK,” Scott added. “We’re going to keep pushing because every single dose could save a life. Every vaccination counts… We need to keep this up, keep pushing and keep leading the nation.”

When asked at the press conference Tuesday, June 8, if the state’s threshold of 80% was “arbitrary,” and “scientifically