Health

From the Vermont Department of Health: 

Vaccines

Vaccines are the best way for Vermont's children to stay healthy as the school year approaches. Make sure that your children age 12 and older are vaccinated. Find a location near you, including many clinics in Vermont schools in August and September. https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/getting-covid-19-vaccine

People 12 to 17 years old:

You can get a vaccine at a walk-in clinic (without an appointment) or you can make an appointment. Be sure you are getting the Pfizer vaccine since that is the only vaccine that is authorized for people age 12 to 17. A child must have reached their 12th birthday to be eligible.

If you are making an appointment online through the state website, you will only see appointments for the Pfizer vaccine.

Certain pharmacies, including CVS and Kinney Drugs, are also offering the Pfizer vaccine to this age group, and some have walk-in opportunities.

For appointments made through the state website and appointments made through CVS, you will either need to:

Make an appointment through the website https://vermont.force.com/events/s/selfregistration or

Come to get your vaccine with a parent or guardian who can give consent or

Come to get your vaccine with a completed Immunization Clinic Consent Form https://www.healthvermont.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pdf/Vermont-Dept-Health-Walk-In-Consent.pdf and completed Prevaccination Checklist for COVID-19 Vaccine https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/downloads/pre-vaccination-screening-form.pdf

Walgreens requires a parent or guardian to be present and give consent at the appointment.

 

Vermont's high vaccination rates mean the vast majority of Vermonters are protected from the virus, which also helps keep the virus from spreading to others. With continued vaccination and common sense personal prevention efforts, it will stay safe for most Vermonters to return to the activities they enjoyed before the pandemic. 

Cases of COVID-19 have been rising this summer, in large part because of the highly transmissible Delta variant. The vast majority of cases continue to be among people who are unvaccinated. This is why we strongly encourage everyone who is eligible to protect themselves by getting vaccinated as soon as possible.

A smaller percentage of cases have occurred among vaccinated people. However, data shows that the vaccine does what it’s supposed to do. People who are fully vaccinated are highly protected from severe illness, hospitalization and death.

For frequently asked questions regarding vaccines:  https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/faqs

After Your Vaccine

When do I need to get my second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine? How do I make my appointment?  https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/getting-covid-19-vaccine#seconddose

 

What should I know about side effects?  https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/getting-covid-19-vaccine#sideeffects

 

I’m sick. Are my symptoms from the vaccine or sickness from COVID-19? https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine/getting-covid-19-vaccine#sickafter

 

What can I do after I am fully vaccinated?  https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine#vaccinated

 

Is it possible to get COVID-19 even if I’m fully vaccinated? https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine#breakthrough

 

How long does protection from the vaccine last?  https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine#lastingprotection

 

Do I need a booster shot to increase my protection against COVID-19?  https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine#booster

 

How can I get a copy of my vaccine record? Can I get a new vaccine card if I lose it? https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/vaccine#record

 

Call the Health Department at 802-863-7240 (toll-free 833-722-0860). We’re ready to respond to COVID-19 health-related questions. Calls are answered Monday - Friday 8:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

 

For vaccine registration, call 855-722-7878, Monday - Friday 8:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

 

For general questions (not health-related) dial 2-1-1 or 1-866-652-4636.

 

EMAIL Send the Health Department an email at AHS.VDHPublicCommunication@vermont.gov.

 

 

CLOSE CONTACTS & CONTACT TRACING

Close Contacts & Contact Tracing

When someone tests positive for COVID-19, the Health Department works with them to identify their close contacts, or the people who were in close contact with them. Close contact means being within 6 feet, for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, of someone with COVID-19 during their infectious period.

 

The infectious period is when the person with COVID-19 is contagious. It starts two days before symptoms began and continues until they are recovered. For people who have not had symptoms, the infectious period starts two days before they had a positive test.

 

Testing

The Health Department recommends that unvaccinated close contacts get tested twice – as soon as two days after you were exposed to the person with COVID-19, and again seven days after the exposure. If your first test is negative, remain in quarantine and follow guidance from the Health Department. If it is positive, follow isolation guidance from the Health Department.

 

Testing is not recommended for unvaccinated close contacts who have recovered from COVID-19 within the past three months and do not have symptoms of COVID-19.

 

If you are fully vaccinated and do not have symptoms of COVID-19:

 

You are well protected from COVID-19 once you are fully vaccinated. If you’d like reassurance, consider getting tested 3 to 5 days after you were exposed to someone with COVID-19.

If you are fully vaccinated and you have symptoms of COVID-19:

If you develop any symptoms within 14 days of being exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should get tested. COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective, but occasionally people who are fully vaccinated can get COVID-19. Most often your symptoms will be mild. Being vaccinated protects you from severe illness, hospitalization and death.

 

Close contacts will need to quarantine (see exceptions below). Quarantine means staying home and away from others for 14 days. Your quarantine period starts on day 0, which was the last day you were in close contact with the person who tested positive.

 

You can end quarantine after 14 days if you don’t get sick. If you develop symptoms at any point during your quarantine, contact your health care provider and the Health Department right away. See the timeline for close contacts of people with COVID-19.

 

You have the option to end quarantine early if you:

get tested on or after day 7 and get a negative test result. The test should be for a current infection (like a PCR test), except it should not be an antigen test (also known as a rapid test), and

did not have any symptoms of COVID-19. You must continue to monitor yourself for symptoms for the full 14 days.

If you are an unvaccinated inpatient or an unvaccinated resident of a long-term care facility, you do not have the option to test out of quarantine early.

 

You do not need to quarantine if you do not have symptoms of COVID-19, and:

you are fully vaccinated, unless you are an inpatient or resident in a health care setting, or

you have recovered from COVID-19 within the past three months, or

you had close contact with someone who is a close contact (for example, you live with someone or take care of someone who is in quarantine).

Find more details about what to do if you’re a close contact.

 

If you think you had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 but were not contacted, you may take precautions by quarantining for 14 days since the last day you were in contact with that person, and get tested on day 7 or after if you have not had any symptoms. From the CDC:

 

From the CDC:

When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html

 

Travel 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/index.html

 

COVID variants

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/variants.html