COVID-19 cases level out in schools; additional boosters approved
April 6, 2022 | By Lisa Scagliotti After three weeks of masks being optional in local schools, COVID-19 cases for March were on par with February and December, according to school district data through April 1.
Protocols relaxed in mid-March with masks becoming optional in all of the schools of the Harwood Unified Union School District and most across Vermont. Schools still have take-home tests to distribute to students and staff on an as-needed basis and anyone who tests positive is asked to report that information to their school nurse and stay home.
School district staff no longer are doing any contact tracing or notifying families and staff on a daily basis of cases in their schools.
Instead of school-specific case information, the district now is updating its COVID-19 website once weekly. A case tally for all schools combined for the week is updated on Fridays.
As of Friday, April 1, the schools in the district had recorded 43 cases for the month of March. The past two weeks each had 12 reports of positive cases where individuals were contagious in school, according to Waitsfield Principal Kaiya Korb, a district COVID-19 coordinator.
The March total was just one shy of February’s 44 cases; December 2021 saw 46 cases across the district’s seven campuses.
At the March 23 HUUSD School Board meeting, superintendent Brigid Nease said school administrators were pleased to see no significant increase in cases following the February break.
New protocols in place now mean there are no restrictions on attendance for school sports or after-school activities and events. Students are no longer required to wear masks on school buses as federal rules regarding transportation have been similarly relaxed. School officials are careful to say that staff and students may still wear masks based on their status and their own health risks and those of their family members.
The most recent school COVID-19 protocols are on the HUUSD.org website under COVID-19 Health Guidance.
The reduced mitigation measures continue as Vermont’s COVID-19 case reports still average over 100 per day. On Monday the state reported 352 new cases over the weekend and Tuesday’s report added another 150 making the seven-day daily average bump up to just over 150. Those tallies only reflect PCR lab tests, not home tests.
The number of self-reported tests is updated by the state weekly and has been on the rise the past three weeks. The latest data are for the week of March 28 when 516 positive cases were self-reported from home tests; the previous two weeks were for 421 and 247 cases respectively. Those figures are on the Department of Health website under the COVID-19 in Community Settings tab.
The Health Department dashboard on Monday showed 20 Vermonters in the hospital with COVID-19, two of whom were in intensive care. That’s up from 17 and zero respectively at the end of last week. Two new deaths were reported Monday and one on Tuesday, bringing Vermont’s pandemic death total to 620.
Testing sites distribute tests
Many state-sponsored testing sites are now phasing away from PCR tests that must be sent to a lab for results and they now have home antigen, PCR and LAMP test kits to distribute to the public for free.
The Waterbury Ambulance Service station at 1727 Guptil Road continues to be a testing site and staff there can help individuals decide which test is best for their circumstances.
The site is open Monday, Tuesday, and Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Wednesday 1-7 p.m.; Thursday 1-5 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Vaccine clinics phasing out
The state Department of Health last week announced that it would be phasing out many of its vaccine clinics in the coming weeks with directives to Vermonters to obtain vaccines through pharmacies or their health care providers’ offices. Locally, in addition to pharmacies at Kinney Drugs and Shaw’s, the vaccine clinic at the Berlin Mall is still showing daily operations from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday through April 12.
Regardless of location, the COVID-19 vaccine is free from any provider, according to the Health Department.
In addition, federal public health officials last week announced the approval of second booster shots for individuals from age 50 and up who received their first booster at least four months ago. People who are immunocompromised and aged 12 and up also are eligible, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
Those age 18 and above may receive the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine; those 12-18 may receive Pfizer only. An additional booster has not been approved for children under 12. People who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and booster can receive a second booster of Pfizer or Moderna, according to the state Health Department.
Individuals should consult their health care provider with questions about if and when to get another booster shot.