COVID-19: Some White River Valley school campuses closed through next week

SOUTH ROYALTON — Four school campuses in the White River Valley closed for in-person learning on Thursday due to cases of COVID-19.

The White River Valley School, which has campuses in Bethel and South Royalton, moved to remote learning for all grades preK-12 through next week, White River Valley Supervisory Union Superintendent Jamie Kinnarney said in a Wednesday evening message to families.

The school shifted learning models after school officials learned of a COVID-19 case affecting the school community on Wednesday evening, Kinnarney wrote. White River Valley School students are expected to return for in-person learning on March 3, after the February vacation, he said.

Elsewhere, both Randolph Elementary and Randolph Technical Career Center also shifted to remote learning on Thursday to allow for contact tracing after school officials learned of a COVID-19 case on Wednesday, Orange Southwest School District Superintendent Layne Millington said in a community message. The Randolph schools were slated to reopen for in-person instruction on Monday.

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — The White River Junction VA Medical Center hosted a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinic for veterans age 65 and older on Thursday and is scheduled to hold another on Saturday.

The first-come, first-served clinics are for veterans enrolled in VA health care, according to a flyer from the VA. To do so, veterans can call 877-222-8387.

Those who have had another vaccine within the past two weeks or plan to within the next six weeks are not eligible to receive the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine the clinics are providing. People who have tested positive for COVID-19 within the past three months also are not eligible. People who have had anaphylactic reactions to other vaccines are not recommended to get it.

Saturday’s clinic is scheduled to take place at the medical center’s Freedom Building’s blue clinic at 163 Veterans Drive in White River Junction from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Masks and physical distancing are required. The clinic will close early should the available doses be distributed more quickly than expected.

Clinic participants should plan to receive second doses on March 11 or 13 at the same location.

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Visiting Nurse and Hospice for Vermont and New Hampshire is working with the Brattleboro, Vt.-based Rescue Inc. emergency medical service to distribute COVID-19 vaccines to homebound patients 75 and older in Windham, Windsor, and Orange counties in Vermont, according to a news release.

The partnership between the two organizations to deliver the vaccine is necessary due to workforce scarcity, storage and transportation requirements of the vaccine and the rural geography of the region, the release said.

Without this service, homebound residents would have difficulty getting vaccinated, the release said. Such patients are among those whose age and underlying health conditions put them at increased risk of serious symptoms from COVID-19.

NEWPORT, N.H. — Two employees at Summercrest Senior Living Community in Newport tested positive for COVID-19 last month, according to the executive director.

Testing on Feb. 5 showed no additional cases, said Hailey Wetherbee, the Summer Street facility’s executive director, in a Monday message to families. Another round of testing is scheduled for Friday and the facility’s second round of COVID-19 vaccinations is scheduled for Saturday, Wetherbee wrote.

SPRINGFIELD, Vt. — Springfield Health & Rehab is one of four sites where the Vermont Workers’ Center is set to hold Valentine’s Day vigils on Sunday.

The vigils, which also are slated to take place in Barre, St. Albans, and St. Johnsbury, are aimed at bringing attention to conditions at long-term care facilities amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a news release.

The group is calling on Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a Republican, to investigate conditions at for-profit nursing homes in the state; improve staffing ratios at the facilities; increase access to protective equipment; and expand the state’s Choices for Care program, which enables people on Medicaid to receive long-term care at home.

Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.

Correction

This headline has been updated to reflect that Randolph Technical Career Center reopened to students this week.