On Nov. 17, Governor Phil Scott directed the Agency of Human Services to implement a universal booster program for Covid-19 vaccinations and is strongly encouraging every Vermonter over the age of 18 to get a Covid booster shot. Anyone who has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is eligible two months after their first dose.…

By Lola Duffort/VTDigger As soon as Gov. Scott told top lawmakers in a letter Monday afternoon, Nov. 15, that he would call them back into session and allow them to pass a measure clearing the way for time-limited municipal mask mandates, reactions started flooding in. According to Senate Pro Tem Becca Balint, D-Windham, legislative leaders…

By Ethan Weinstein Following a week of record cases, Gov. Phil Scott will call the Legislature back for a special session, allowing them to pass a law granting municipalities to install local mask mandates — but only on his terms. Scott called his decision an “olive branch” and a “compromise.” Vermont currently has the fifth…

By Ethan Weinstein As the state sets new records in both its seven day average case count and its single day case count, Governor Phil Scott and his administration addressed Vermonters while wearing masks for the first time in months but did not issue any substantive changes to Covid policy. Scott touted the over 14,000…

By Ethan Weinstein If, as experts expect, the CDC endorses Pfizer’s vaccine for children 5-11 on Nov. 2 or 3, Vermonters in that age group will be able to receive their first shot this week, Gov. Phil Scott said at the press conference Tuesday, Nov. 2. “We want you to know: Vermont is ready,” Scott…

By Tiffany Tan and Alan J. Keays/VTDigger State health officials learned something in October: An animal sedative is increasingly contributing to opioid overdose deaths among Vermonters. The drug, xylazine, is used as a sedative, muscle relaxant and pain reliever in animals such as horses and cattle. It is not approved for human use. In people,…

By Sarah Mearhoff/VTDigger Vermont state lawmakers joined health care workers, teachers and others during a Monday afternoon press conference, Oct. 25, to increase pressure on Gov. Phil Scott to reinstate an emergency declaration amid rising coronavirus case counts in the state. The calls for a mask mandate and other mitigation measures come as Vermont continues…

By Peter D’Auria/VTDigger Since starting school roughly six weeks ago, students at Bristol Elementary School have broken the school’s piano, destroyed computers and dented cars in the parking lot. In the Missisquoi Valley School District, more staff members may be added to handle an uptick in hazing, harassment and bullying investigations.   And at a…

Vermont Everyone Eats (VEE), the innovative Covid-19 response program that provides meal assistance to Vermonters while supporting local restaurants, farmers, and food producers, has received an extension to continue through December of this year. Program managers had anticipated that meals would end on Sept. 30, but with funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),…

By Ethan Weinstein After a week of falling case counts, Vermont’s Covid tallies rose to near highs in the last seven days. Amidst the surge, Gov. Scott at his weekly press conference did not announce any changes to mitigation policies. Rutland County reported 24 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the 14-day case total to 357.…

By Brian Ricca Editor’s note: Brian Ricca is the school superintendent in St. Johnsbury. There has been a great deal of discussion in the abstract about the impact of the Delta variant in Vermont schools since the academic year began. Here in the real world, with real students, faculty, staff, and families, it’s been excruciating.…

By Mike Dougherty/VTDigger As the pace of vaccinations slowed this spring, some experts began floating a new vision of Covid-19’s future as endemic. Rather than focusing on herd immunity — the threshold at which enough people had been vaccinated or previously infected that the full population would be protected against the disease — endemicity provided…

Down slightly over last week’s record By Erin Petenko/VTDigger and Polly Mikula Vermont reported 1,448 Covid-19 cases within the past week, a slight decline from 1,520 the week before but far higher than the 1,050 cases reported just two weeks ago, according to a state data presentation. It was still the second highest week of Covid cases ever…

By Grace Benninghoff/VTDigger Vermont’s legislative leadership has called off plans to reconvene this October due to substantial delays to President Biden’s federal infrastructure bill. The decision likely forecloses the possibility that the Legislature could seek to enact more stringent Covid-19 protocols this fall, as some Democrats have urged. As the 2021 session wound down in…

Vermonters 65+ and 18+ with underlying medical conditions or who work in certain occupational settings are eligible Staff report Vermonters 75 years of age and older are now eligible to schedule and receive Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine booster doses. Registration started Monday, Sept. 27. Beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 29, that eligibility expands to any Vermonters 70…