The Deeper Dig

While Burlington Progressives this week voted to put a member of their younger, more activist wing on the ballot, the party’s caucus revealed a split that could have ramifications for next year’s race.

"We will get vaccine," says Chris Finley, the immunization program director at the Vermont Department of Health. "When it will be here is the million dollar question." The state is making preparations in case doses are available as soon as early December. But how will that rollout actually work? And who will receive a vaccine first?

Finley joined our weekly live Covid-19 interview series on Wednesday, Nov. 18, to answer readers' questions about the Covid vaccine.

As Covid-19 cases surge in Vermont, officials have been reminding well-intentioned Vermonters to take the state’s health guidelines seriously. But they’ve also begun addressing another group of people: skeptics, who believe the government response to Covid-19 is overblown. How pervasive have these opinions become? And how dangerous are they to public health?

Guest: Dr. Turner Osler (UVM Larner College of Medicine)

A growing number of Vermonters are experiencing Covid-19 symptoms for months after contracting the disease, a phenomenon that’s being observed across the globe. Researchers are calling these patients “long haulers.” But with little known about the syndrome they’re experiencing, these long haulers are still looking for answers - and support.

Guests: Kathy Warren, Nicole Racicot, Katie Jickling (VTDigger)

A militia training site in West Pawlet is terrifying its neighbors. Men from the site have harassed locals online and in person. They also appear to be stockpiling weapons and ammunition, and they’ve promoted symbols of far-right anti-government groups at a time when tensions over political violence are running high. But state authorities say that without evidence of criminal activity, there’s no way for them to intervene.

Guests: Joe Young (American University, Political Violence at a Glance)

As the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbates Vermont’s affordable housing crisis, new research on flexible housing models suggests that the state could benefit from rethinking how to build homes. But advocates wonder whether creativity is enough to help the people who need housing now.

Nearly 200,000 Vermonters have already voted in the general election after the state mailed ballots to every registered active voter for the first time ever. The shift to mail-in voting has some people concerned about the integrity of the results — but both election experts and local officials on the frontlines say the proper safeguards are in place.

Guests: Stacy Jewell (St. Johnsbury town clerk), Garrett Graff (Aspen Institute)

Antigen tests, which give Covid-19 results in a matter of hours, are increasingly becoming available in Vermont. But the state has hesitated to make these rapid tests a major part of its health strategy. Why?

As nursing home visitation rules begin to relax, some residents’ family members worry that they still won't be involved in caring for their loved ones as long as Covid-19 remains a risk. And for elderly patients with dementia, some say the damage caused by physical separation has already been done.

Guests: Rebecca Whittemore-Arsenault, Monica Hutt (Vermont Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living)

In their first in-person debate of the 2020 election season, Vermont’s candidates for governor laid out divergent views of how the state should raise and spend its money — and used some conflicting numbers in the process. VTDigger's Kit Norton breaks down two key claims from Tuesday’s debate between Governor Phil Scott and Lieutenant Governor David Zuckerman.