Thread by @JaneLindholm

Press conference thread coming at you! (Mute me now if you don’t want to be bombarded!)

Governor Scott begins, as expected, talking about the vaccine doses that arrived in Vermont yesterday. First doses are reserved for "high risk" healthcare workers, who treat COVID patients, and people who live in long term care facilities.

Governor Scott says this is exciting news, but it will take several months before most Vermonters get vaccinated. So it will come as no surprise, he says, to learn that he's extending the state of emergency for another month.

Scott says he knows it's hard to think about still avoiding travel and seeing loved ones, especially during the holidays, but says Vermonters are used to long dark winters, hunkering down but knowing that spring will come. This is the same, he says.

"I need you--each and every one of you--to make sure we get through the last of this on solid footing, with as little loss of life as possible, with our health care system intact," with our children in school, and with our economy poised to be in the best shape possible, he says.

Scott shares stories of Vermonters "lighting the way" with kindness, stories that have been submitted by Vermonters who want to recognize that kindness and contributions of their neighbors.

"These random acts of kindness are contagious, but in a good way," Scott quips.

66 cases of COVID-19 being announced today, after three days over 100. Four deaths announced today, 3 of which were people in long-term care facilities. The US has passed 300,000 total deaths.

Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine now, sharing these statistics. He also says the state is following 225 non-outbreak situations. (Cases that are connected but don't rise to the level of outbreak.) And they're tracking 37 outbreaks.

"This is a truly pivotal moment in the pandemic," Dr. Levine says of the vaccine arrival, but reminds Vermonters that this is the start of a long process.

Though the research on this vaccine shows great results in terms of efficacy and adverse reactions, there's still a lot to be determined, including whether this vaccine is safe for pregnant people, and if people who get the vaccine can still transmit the virus to others.

1950 doses will ship later this week directly to pharmacies that are contracted to administer doses to residential care homes. That administration will begin on 12/21.

The state is already working on getting its doses out to the state's hospitals right now. And doses will begin to be administered to front line health care workers tomorrow. UVMMC will actually begin today.

The state could see 34,000 doses in the next few weeks. (There were lots of other numbers Dr. Levine shared, but they came too quickly for me to capture here.)

Priority group 1A will get many of these doses--those are the front line health care workers and residents of long term care facilities.

Priority Group 1B is still being determined by the state but will likely include people over 65, those under 65 who have chronic conditions that make them vulnerable to worse outcomes if they contract COVID-19, and front line workers.

It will likely be several months before others are eligible to get the vaccine. You'll know when you're personally eligible mostly through your primary health provider. (And through public health announcements like this.)

Stephen Leffler MD, President and COO, UVM Medical Center, joining by video now. He says the medical center is beginning to vaccinate health care workers who are most at risk for COVID-19 today.

Oh, but back to Dr. Levine: he said Vermonters will still have to wear masks, distance, and take precautions even after they have gotten vaccinated.

Modeling report now, from DFR Commissioner Mike Pieciak. He begins by also noting the positive news the vaccine is bringing. "In time, it will bring an end to the pandemic. This week, however, also brings us great sadness." Notes 300,000 deaths in the US.

Americans are dying more often, he notes. 50,000 Americans dead in just 23 days. This week was also the most deadly for Vermont, with 15 people losing their life in the last week and bringing us to 100 total deaths.

Says we’re seeing the sacrifices Vermonters made to not travel and gather over Thanksgiving. Vermont was the third least mobile state in the nation. We haven’t seen a surge attributed to T-Day gatherings. (Shows the surge some Canadian provinces had after Canadian Thanksgiving.)

Vermont forecast is for a significant increase, but Pieciak says he has confidence Vermont can beat that prediction and have a lower rise. Also shows regional heat map.

US and regional stats, as well as a look at Vermont counties.

Vermont restart metrics.

And here is data on schools, long term care facilities, and flu vaccine uptake.

Question time now! The 34,000 doses we should have by the end of the month still won't quite take care of all of the 1A priority group. There are about 50-60,000 people who are in the larger group that this would encompass.

In terms of actually changing our current lifestyle with masking etc., Levine says it will probably be fall before we can stop doing those things. But the summer will look different than now, because we can be outdoors, many people will have been vaccinated etc.

Question about whether people should get in touch with their doctor to get on some kind of list to be in line to get the vaccine. Levine says doctors and health districts know a lot of the people already who would be in the priority group 1B, vaccinated in Jan/Feb/March.

Me here: it's human nature to be worried, and I imagine people will feel better once they get a note from their health providers that at least acknowledges they're on the radar of their provider, even if there's no official word on when they'll get the vaccine.

Levine says don't call your provider at this point. (Again, I would recommend providers be proactive if they don't want to be bombarded by calls!)

Question for Secretary Mike Smith about the announcement that a Vermont inmate in the Mississippi prison died yesterday. "The death does not appear to be suspicious or COVID related, and we will conduct an administrative review," Smith says.

Question about which pharmacies have the federal contract to administer the COVID vaccine directly to Vermont's long-term care facilities. Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and Kinney Drugs are the 3 chains involved in this national effort, Dr. Levine says.

.@lseconnors wonders if Vermont is going to be one of the first states to start administering in long term care facilities partly because of how old our population is. Levine says no; doses are sent out based on total population count, not by a state's age distribution.

@lseconnors Dr. Levine says there's a team at the state level and at the federal level to determine how to prioritize WITHIN priority groups.

@lseconnors Liam asks Governor Scott if he would make a public show of getting the vaccine to show confidence and encourage othes. He says he looks forward to taking the vaccine and wants to portray confidence, but doesn't want to take a single dose from someone in a higher risk category.

@lseconnors However, he's eager to show confidence and to encourage others to get the vaccine. So he feels torn--willing and eager to encourage others, but also doesn't want to take a dose away from a vulnerable Vermonter. So...stay tuned, I guess.

Governor Scott reminds people that they should not assume they have immunity immediately after the first shot. It takes 2-4 weeks to develop immunity, and the second shot is imperative to get the maximum immunity.

Question about how to get the vaccine out to farm workers, including people who may not have legal documentation to be in the country.

Scott says yes, the state will be reaching out to undocumented people (in ag and elsewhere). Dr. Levine says often ag workers live in congregate settings, and reminds us of the outbreak among (documented) ag workers at an apple orchard this fall.

Levine says the state will be reaching out to ag workers and others, including homeless populations, to find these folks but also to try to build trust in the medical system and get them vaccinated.

Dr. Levine says 97% in the state have insurance and are known to the health care community and their primary care practice. So he doesn't think it should be a huge issue identifying who needs to get the vaccine. And says there will be time for them to get the vaccine, even later.

question about cases in Orleans County and where they might be stemming from. Dr. Levine says he and others have been watching that carefully. Says "nothing has shown up to be a unifying theme in term of like, an outbreak."

As level of virus in a community increases, it makes it more likely that someone in that community is going to come in contact with someone who has the virus. Says that's happening in Orleans County.

Governor Scott says no decision has been made about whether restrictions will be lifted on multi-household gatherings ahead of the Christmas and New Years holidays. Says he's still waiting to see if cases trend downward over the next few days.

"I don't want us to pay the price in all of January and February, for instance, if we take the wrong steps now," he says. Would rather keep restrictions tight and then "open the spigot" in January. But more info to come on that. Maybe Friday, I would guess.

In terms of mandating vaccination, it sounds like employers aren't allowed to mandate a vaccine that has only gotten emergency use authorization. I'll try to find more info on that.