- Associated Press - Friday, January 29, 2021

More than 32,500 Vermonters ages 75 and older have registered for appointments to receive their fist dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday night, Human Services Secretary Mike Smith said Friday.

Vaccinations for that age group, with an estimated population of 49,000, started Wednesday. About 7,000 in that age group who are in long-term care facilities have already received the vaccine, said Gov. Phil Scott said at his twice-weekly virus briefing.

“We’ve been very satisfied to date with the number of people who have signed up,” he said.

The state expects to finish administering the first dose to the 75-and-older population in five weeks, Smith said. He said he expects the next two age groups, 70 and up and 65 and older, will have their first dose by the end of the winter or the beginning of spring,

Many may also have their second doses by the middle or end of March, and any new vaccines or increase in doses from the federal government would accelerate the time frame, he said.

He and Smith stressed that Vermont is vaccinating older residents first to prevent death from COVID-19.

This week, the state received an additional 1,350 first doses of vaccine, above its regular allocation, Smith said.

And the 860 doses of the Moderna vaccine that had been stored at the Springfield hospital at a temperature 1 degree above the required level are effective and safe to use, state officials said.

State officials initially said the doses would have to be discarded. But given the large amount of vaccine involved and the specifics of the situation, state and hospital officials worked with the manufacturer to determine whether the vaccine would need to be thrown away.

Levine said Moderna informed him and the Health Department late Wednesday afternoon that all the vaccine doses are effective and safe for use, he said.

“They determined none of the doses were impacted by temperature inconsistencies and all could be use with full public confidence,” Levine said.

The state’s immunization program continues to work with the hospital to investigate the storage issues, and planned to do a site visit on Friday, he said.

“We want the public to know that they can confidence in the vaccine and Springfield Hospital,” Levine said.

In other pandemic-related news in Vermont:

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NORWICH UNIVERSITY

Norwich University in Northfield has reported more than 80 coronavirus cases since students returned earlier this month, Levine said.

“This is a situation that we’re following very closely,” he said.

Much of the impact is believed to be from students traveling from other parts of the country who perhaps didn’t quarantine first, Levine said. Also, some students learned when they arrived that a family member back home had tested positive, he said.

“We are working very closely with Norwich to refine testing protocols, especially for close contacts, on top of the surveillance testing that’s already in place,” he said. The Health Department is also working with Norwich to review the school’s quarantine housing protocol and to provide support where needed, he said.

The state is examining whether any new cases among college students are the new more infectious variants of the coronavirus, Levine said.

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THE NUMBERS

Vermont reported 133 new cases of the coronavirus on Friday for a statewide total since the pandemic began of over 11,600.

The Health Department reported that 57 people were hospitalized, with 11 in intensive care.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont did not increase over the past two weeks, going from 167.14 new cases per day on Jan. 14 to 134.71 new cases per day on Jan. 28.

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AP reporter Wilson Ring in Stowe, Vermont, contributed to this report.

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