COVID-19 Update: Testing sites closing; shots for tots available

June 23, 2022  |  By Lisa Scagliotti 

Waterbury Ambulance Service is very busy on Wednesday with people coming in for COVID-19 vaccines. The station ends COVID-19 testing and test distribution this weekend. Photo by Scott Benson

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve with Vermont’s state-sponsored testing sites closing this weekend just as federal public health officials have given the green light for vaccines for the youngest children. 

The line was long on Wednesday at the Waterbury Ambulance station on Guptil Road where vaccines are available for children starting at age 6 months. “We are the only ones in the state offering this currently,” Executive Director Mark Podgwaite said. 

A check on the state Health Department website shows more state clinics adding vaccines for the youngest children in the coming days. (Scroll down for a list of clinics run by Waterbury Ambulance.)

Ambulance staff are administering initial doses and boosters for anyone eligible. In addition, it’s still offering COVID-19 PCR testing and distributing home testing kits through this Saturday, June 25. 

Testing sites around the state such as those in Waterbury Center and Berlin that have been run by Waterbury Ambulance Service will end operations this weekend. The public is encouraged to visit a testing site to pick up tests while supplies are available. 

Podgwaite said his operation will continue its work to deliver COVID-19 vaccines at its station in Waterbury Center and behind Burger King on the Barre-Montpelier Road in Berlin on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will staff a vaccine booth at the Waterbury Farmers Market on Thursdays 4-7 p.m. through August. It also will continue at the United Church of Christ in Waitsfield on Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through July.

This weekend Waterbury Ambulance staff will have a walk-up vaccine booth at the Not Quite Independence Day celebration at Rusty Parker Memorial Park open 3-7 p.m.  

Parents of young children ages 6 months through 5 years can look to their pediatricians for vaccine information and shots. According to the Vermont Department of Health, vaccines for the youngest children will be available by the end of June at health care providers’ offices. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 18 recommended COVID-19 vaccines for the youngest age group. The Vermont Department of Health estimates that there are about 26,000 children age 6 months through 4 years old in Vermont now eligible for vaccination. 

“This is very welcome news for the parents and caregivers who have been waiting for more than a year now for their young children to benefit from a COVID-19 vaccine,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine. “Vaccines are the safer way to build protection against the virus and help prevent serious outcomes.”

Both the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna vaccines have been authorized for use for the under-age 5 group, according to the Health Department. Pfizer doses are one-tenth the dosage given to adults, while the Moderna doses are one-fourth the dosage. 

The Pfizer vaccine is authorized to be given to children age 6 months through 4 years in two doses that are three weeks apart, followed by a third dose at least two months later. The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is authorized to be given to children 6 months through 5 years in two doses four weeks apart. 

“Pediatricians are a trusted resource for parents, and they can answer questions and provide a familiar, comfortable setting for children to be vaccinated,” Levine said. 

In addition to doctor’s offices, the vaccine for children will be available through walk-in clinics run by the state including Waterbury Ambulance Service, some WIC offices and some pharmacies may have children’s doses for those age 3 and older. Information about the vaccine for this age group as well as walk-in clinics will be updated online by the Health Department at healthvermont.gov/KidsVaccine. 

For children age 5 and older, booster shots are now recommended as well. In addition to health care providers, pharmacies and walk-in clinics have vaccines for older children. 

Getting COVID-19 tests 

The Waterbury Ambulance Service station on Guptil Road in Waterbury Center will be open to distribute tests and offer vaccinations through this Saturday with hours Wednesday 1-7 p.m., Thursday 1-5 p.m., and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. After Saturday, it will only be offering vaccines on Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

As COVID-19 testing sites close, access to tests shifts to pharmacies, doctor’s offices and online retailers. Kits that were distributed for free now will be available for purchase with reimbursement available through health insurance providers.  

The Health Department recommends testing for anyone who has symptoms and for anyone not current with their vaccines after having close contact with someone with COVID-19.

“I encourage everyone to continue using at-home tests when needed. If you do test positive and are at higher risk, please reach out to your health care provider as soon as you can to ask about treatment,” Lavigne said. 

Vermonters who do not have a health care provider and need to be connected to care can call 2-1-1. The public is encouraged to have some at-home tests on hand in case they develop symptoms. Make an appointment to pick up free tests at state sites before June 25 online at healthvermont.gov/covid-19/testing. Sites are distributing up to four antigen test kits and one LAMP test kit (similar to PCR) per person. 

Another source of free tests is a program from the federal government that sends tests by mail. Order online at COVID.gov.

The testing site closures come as reported COVID-19 cases continue to decline in Vermont and across the country. With the shift to home testing, however, reported cases tell just part of the story of the level of the virus still circulating.

VTDigger reported this week that Vermont’s daily average of reported cases has dropped below 100 for the first time since last August. So far the state has recorded 10 deaths in June, according to the Health Department.

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Waterbury Ambulance Service vaccine clinic schedule (as of June 23)

Vaccines are available for all eligible children and adults ages 6 months and up. No appointments needed.

Vaccines available: Moderna for ages 6 months through 5 years, Pfizer for ages 5 years through 11 years, Pfizer 12 years and older, Moderna 18 years and older, and Johnson & Johnson 18 years and older.

Those who have already received a vaccine should bring their vaccine card to be updated.

Schedule

Waterbury Ambulance Station (1727 Guptil Road) on Thursday-Saturday, 1-5 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Berlin behind Burger King (1311 Barre Montpelier Road) Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Waterbury Farmers Market on Thursday, 4-7 p.m.

Montpelier State House (4 Governor Akin Avenue) Friday 8 a.m. to noon.

Waitsfield United Church of Christ Friday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

One Arts Community Center (294 N. Winooski Ave #111, Burlington) Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Not Quite Independence Day (Rusty Parker Memorial Park, Waterbury) Saturday, 3-7 p.m.

Vermont Renaissance Faire (80 Weeks Hill Road, Stowe) Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.