Monday, November 29, 2021
Dr. Elizabeth Bundock, the state’s deputy chief medical examiner since 2007, was appointed to the top post Monday following the retirement in April of Dr. Steven Shapiro.
Tags: Elizabeth Bundock , Steven Shapiro , Office of the Chief Medical Examiner , Vermont Department of Health , autopsies , death investigations , Web Only , Image
Sunday, November 28, 2021
Gov. Phil Scott and his administration are closely following the news about the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which has been detected in several countries — including Canada — but not yet in the United States.
Reports about Omicron, the newly identified variant of the virus, started circulating widely on Friday after it was detected in Britain and several countries in southern Africa. Among the concerns are the potential high transmissibility of the new strain and the possibility it can evade the vaccines now in use. Much is unknown, including the severity of disease it causes, and researchers are rushing to investigate the threat. The World Health Organization has called Omicron a "variant of concern," its most serious classification.
The U.S. will close its borders on Monday to travelers from eight countries in southern Africa, and New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday.
Tags: COVID-19 , Omicron , variant , legislature , Phil Scott , governor , Michael Pieciak , coronavirus , Delta , virus , Web Only , Image
Monday, November 22, 2021
The bill passed the special legislative session by wide margins — 17-10 in the Senate and 90-41 in the House — but many lawmakers who voted for it said they did so only because Scott continued to oppose the broader mask mandate they preferred.
“What we need is a statewide response,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint (D-Windham). “We need our executive branch, our governor and our Department of Health to step up and protect the people of Vermont when we are facing the most challenging and difficult time of the pandemic in Vermont.”
Tags: COVID-19 , Phil Scott , Becca Balint , Mask Mandate , Web Only , Image
Thursday, November 18, 2021
The newly created "action levels" are significantly higher than the "screening level" the state has previously used to flag excessive amounts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in indoor air. Burlington High School decided to shut its doors after testing last year showed levels above the state's threshold of 15 nanograms per cubic meter, along with extensive PCB contamination in building materials.
But the new action levels are 100 nanograms per cubic meter for high school buildings, a level not exceeded by most of the classrooms at Burlington High School's Institute Road campus. Last school year, district officials decided to forgo $70 million in renovations that voters approved and recently decided to build a new school. It is unclear whether the state’s decision will impact this plan.
Tags: Vermont Department of Health , PCBs , Burlington High School , Department of Environmental Conservation , Web Only , Image
Thursday, November 11, 2021
Updated 5:28 p.m.
Since October 14, Brenda Siegel and Josh Lisenby have kept constant vigil outside the Vermont Statehouse for a single purpose: to pressure state officials to fully restore the pandemic-era motel voucher program, which provided free rooms for anyone experiencing homelessness between March 2020 and July 2021.
On Wednesday, after their 27th consecutive night on the Statehouse steps, Siegel and Lisenby achieved a momentous, if partial, victory. From November 22 to March 1, 2022, the Department for Children and Families will open motels to anyone in need of shelter who earns less than $24,000 a year.
Tags: Homelessness , Brenda Siegel , motels , COVID-19 , Web Only , Image
Nearly 600 Vermonters tested positive for COVID-19 in a single day, far surpassing a previous record-high figure for daily infections set a week ago.
The Vermont Department of Health reported on Thursday 591 new cases — nearly 100 more than the 496 infections reported on November 3.
The positive cases were identified out of roughly 13,800 tests. The new data raised the average rate of positive tests to 4.1 percent.
"It's another concerning data point," health department spokesperson Ben Truman said.
Franklin (72 cases), Lamoille (21 cases), and Rutland (74 cases) counties all set new records. Windsor, with 37 cases, tied its previous high.
But infections are distributed across the state. Chittenden County, Vermont's most populous, recorded 97 cases, the most in a day since the Delta variant arrived over the summer.
Tags: COVID-19 , coronavirus , new daily infections , Vermont Department of Health , Gov. Phil Scott , Web Only , Image
Tuesday, November 9, 2021
But they maintained that there is still no need for new restrictions, again dismissing the idea of another mask mandate.
“If we make smart decisions in the coming weeks, and make an extra effort to protect the vulnerable, we can help reduce hospitalizations,” Gov. Phil Scott said, flanked by several masked members of his cabinet. “But it takes all of us committing to these smart, practical choices.”
It has been less than a week since Vermont reported a record-breaking 487 COVID-19 cases in a single day, 140 more than the previous record. The state has now reported 2,200 cases over the last seven days, bringing this week's average to 308, the highest it has ever been.
Unvaccinated people continue to drive much of the surge, posting a rate of infection 3.7 times higher than their vaccinated counterparts, state data shows. That includes children ages 5 to 11, who are catching COVID-19 at the highest rate of any age group right now — twice the rate of all adults — and who were recently made eligible for vaccination.
Tags: COVID surge , Vermont , Cases , Vaccinations , Infections , Data , Housing , Homeless , Web Only , Image
Monday, November 8, 2021
The other plaintiffs are Florida osteopath Joseph Mercola and Organic Consumers Association founder Ronnie Cummins, who coauthored The Truth About COVID-19: Exposing the Great Reset, Lockdowns, Vaccine Passports, and the New Normal, published in April by Chelsea Green. Robert Kennedy Jr., a prominent anti-vaccine activist who wrote the book's foreword, is also a plaintiff.
Warren wrote to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy on September 7 to express her concerns that the online retailer was "peddling misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments." She exhorted Amazon to review its search algorithms and take steps to reduce the visibility of books like The Truth About COVID-19, which still appears as one of the top results in an Amazon search using the term "COVID-19."
Tags: Chelsea Green , COVID-19 , Margo Baldwin , Amazon , Elizabeth Warren , Joseph Mercola , Web Only , Image
Thursday, November 4, 2021
Vermont reported 487 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, shattering the previous single-day record of 347 and dashing any hope that the state had turned a corner amid the latest surge of infections.
The seven-day infection average now sits at 247, the highest ever, while hospitalizations are trending upward after a brief decline. Fifty-five people were in hospitals, with 19 in intensive care — one shy of the record. Deaths have also continued to mount: Fifty people have succumbed to the virus since the start of October, including 10 in the last week.
When Vermont reported what was then a record-breaking number of cases in mid-September, state officials partially blamed a computer glitch. State health department spokesperson Ben Truman confirmed in an email that Thursday’s case spike was not a similar mishap.
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Wednesday, October 27, 2021
The state-federal agreement will provide access to as many as 10 inpatient mental health beds for civilian Vermonters, as long as no veterans would otherwise need the space. It went into effect Monday and will last 30 days.
“The VA has an enormous amount of skill and experience in the area of mental healthcare,” Emily Hawes, Vermont's commissioner of mental health, said in a press release. “We are fortunate that they are willing to help us out and open their doors to non-veterans for a period of time."
Tags: Mental health , Vermont , VA , Inpatient beds , Web Only , Image