Governor Phil Scott and State Health Commissioner Mark Levine detailed Vermont’s plan for rolling out a vaccine for the coronavirus, vowing to be ready when one becomes available.

On Friday, Scott said the plan includes a group of experts from multiple agencies that will focus on the logistics and communication. Health Commissioner Levine says the challenge will be to find out who will receive the vaccine first. 

“Allocations to states will be likely based upon population size and infection rates,” he said. “With that expectation we will necessarily need to prioritize those groups of people of whom it is important to get the first doses of vaccines.”

Levine says for those worried about the cost, there will be options.

“We plan to reach those priority groups by a mix of vaccine clinics that have proven to work in the past for example utilizing Vermont’s healthcare sysrem and offering community based clinics,” he said.

The Health Commissioner adds that people should get the vaccine when it reaches the state. 

“Having a safe and effective vaccine is essential to stopping the spread of the virus,” he said, “and I’ll be the first to encourage anyone who can get vaccinated to step up to the vaccine when it is available to them.”

Dr. Levine also reminded Vermonters that vaccines are still in their trial phases and still have to be approved by the CDC before they are available to the public.