Vermonters 65 and older can register for the vaccine Monday

Two major developments in Vermont’s COVID-19 battle were announced Tuesday.

First, Vermonters age 65 and older will be able to make an appointment on the Department of Health’s vaccine registration website or through Kinney Drugs or Walgreens websites, state officials said at a press conference Tuesday. They can also call the Department of Health to make an appointment, but officials recommend using the website if possible to reduce the demand for the phone lines.

Mike Smith, secretary of the Agency of Human Services, said Vermonters can make an account on the Department of Health website right now, in advance of the registration process. Once registration opens on Monday, the people who are eligible can pick a time and place to receive their first dose of the vaccine.

Officials said about 42,000 Vermonters are between ages 65 and 69, the coming “age band” in the vaccine process.

The next group of people who will be eligible for the vaccine — Vermonters with underlying health conditions — should be able to register in the next few weeks, Smith said.

To register for a vaccine appointment, visit healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine (preferred) or call 855-722-7878.

Second, people who have been fully vaccinated can gather with people of one other household at a time, regardless of whether people in that other household have been vaccinated, Gov. Phil Scott said Tuesday.

“If your parents are fully vaccinated, you can go to their house for dinner, or vice versa. Or if you’re a nurse who was vaccinated in phase 1A, you can visit a friend, even if they’re not vaccinated yet,” Scott said.

That rule applies to only one household at a time, he said.

The state also recently allowed vaccinated travelers to come in and out of Vermont without quarantining, and loosened restrictions around activities and visits in long-term care facilities.

About 91,000 Vermonters have been vaccinated, split about evenly between those who have received both doses and just one dose.

Dr. Mark Levine, head of the Department of Health, said the decline in COVID cases could be attributed the end of several outbreak-causing holiday periods, such as Halloween and Christmas; people doing a better job of following public health guidance; and rising immunity from the vaccine.

“This is why being vaccinated — like following our prevention efforts, wearing masks, keeping 6 feet apart, avoiding crowded places — is essential to ending this pandemic and getting back to normal,” he said.

Levine said the state had 87 new cases Tuesday and two new deaths, bringing the total deaths to 199.

Read more at VTDigger.org (Vermonters 65 and older can register for the vaccine Monday).