Vermont is preparing to open registration for booster shots of Pfizer's COVID vaccine to people at least 80 years old on Friday ahead of final approval from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The news was announced Thursday evening, after a CDC panel recommended the booster shots be allowed for seniors and people at high or occupational risk for severe COVID infections. The Food and Drug Administration has already approved the expanded booster shot, and the CDC plans to review its panel's recommendation Friday.
"As we await final guidance from CDC, Vermont will move forward with scheduling boosters based on age, beginning Friday," a statement from Gov. Phil Scott, the Agency of Human Services and the Department of Health said.
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State officials feel confident that booster shots for seniors will be approved, so will start registering people who've received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine starting at 8:15 a.m. Friday and expanding by age group over the following week like so:
People 80 and up: Friday, Sept. 24
People 75 and up: Monday, Sept. 27
People 70 and up: Wednesday, Sept. 29
People 65 and up: Friday, Oct. 1
Vermonters can register at healthvermont.gov/MyVaccine by clicking the "make an appointment" button. Eligible people can get the booster dose wherever the Pfizer vaccine is offered. (See a map here.)
Anyone who needs assistance can call 855-722-7878, and officials noted that more appointments will be added to the site as clinics open, so anyone who can't find an appointment immediately should check the site again later.
"Vermonters have led the way in our vaccination efforts, and I’m confident they will continue to in this next phase," Scott said in a statement.
Vermont has had the highest vaccination rate nationwide for much of the pandemic.
