By Erin Petenko/VTDigger Covid-19 levels in Vermont remain “low,” according to the Vermont Department of Health’s latest weekly surveillance update. The data comes amid the first week of the Omicron booster, also called the bivalent vaccine, which became available Wednesday, Sept. 7 in Vermont. This booster specifically targets the BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants of Omicron. About 80% of…

Bivalent vaccine offers protection against new virus variants State health officials announced Tuesday, Sept. 6, that Vermonters will be able to receive the newly approved Covid-19 vaccine booster shots starting Wednesday, Sept. 7. The updated boosters are designed to be a match for the BA.5 Omicron variant currently affecting most people. Last week, the CDC…

Staff report New state guidance released last Wednesday, Aug. 10, leaves Covid mitigation up to school nurses this school year. The Vermont Agency of Education and Department of Health release was three-pages of loose guidance, signed by Vermont Secretary of Education Dan French and Health Commissioner Mark Levine. The state said it is aimed at establishing…

By Curt Peterson Local residents are worried about endless variants of Covid-19, and the new Monkeypox. As usual, these important topics are clouded by unanswered questions and misinformation. Both Dr. Rick Hildebrant, Rutland Regional Medical Center’s chief information officer and department chair of medicine, and Dr. John Perras, Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center’s CEO,…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger It’s been roughly a year since the Delta variant arrived in Vermont, reversing what had been a nearly Covid-free summer. Delta caused a surge in cases and hospitalizations, propelling what Health Commissioner Mark Levine deemed a new phase in the pandemic — only for Omicron to arrive in December, leading cases to…

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Covid-19 vaccines for children age 6 months through 5 years of age on Saturday, June 18, paving the way for vaccinating the youngest Vermonters later this month. “This is very welcome news for the parents and caregivers who have been waiting for more than a year now…

Vt Dept. of Health says 'get take-home tests now' Vermont Health Dept. testing sites will close June 25. Vermonters are encouraged to pick up free take-home tests from these sites to keep at home and use if needed. Vermonters can get up to four antigen test kits for each appointment, but only one LAMP (similar to…

By Curt Peterson At a recent Windsor Central Unified Union School District (WCSU) board meeting concern was raised about effects the latest variant of Covid is having on attendance. Student attendance below 51% on a given day means that day won’t count toward the state-required minimum number of education days for that school. Killington Elementary…

Rutland Regional Medical Center recently reopened 5 West as a dedicated negative pressure Covid unit. This action was taken to accommodate and balance the needs of Covid positive patients and the high patient census in the ICU. “Covid is still very much in our community,” said Rick Hildebrant, the chief medical information officer at Rutland…

8 of Vermont’s 14 counties are listed as ‘high’ based on cases, hospitalizations and capacity By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, May 12, that eight Vermont counties have “high” community Covid-19 levels. That’s a drop from the 12 counties with reportedly high levels last week. Grand Isle, Lamoille,…

By Erin Petenko/VTDigger The Vermont Department of Health plans to “phase out” the Covid-19 case dashboard that has been the centerpiece of its data reporting since March 2020, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said at a press conference Tuesday, May 10. The dashboard — part of a collection of Covid data available on the department’s website…

By Katy Savage Gov. Phil Scott addressed the healthcare crisis on Wednesday, April 6 in front of a crowd of about 100 people during the Rutland Regional Medical Center’s annual meeting at the Paramount Theatre. Scott praised the staff at RRMC and other hospitals for being on the “front line of a battle we never…

Experts are holding their breath By Erin Petenko/ VTDigger Timothy Plante likens Vermont’s day-to-day Covid-19 data now to the very first days of the virus’s arrival in March 2020.  At the time, little was known about the progress of the virus because PCR testing was so limited, said Plante, an assistant professor at the University…