[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 129 (Thursday, July 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5041-S5042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              CORONAVIRUS

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, since the start of the pandemic, the State 
of Vermont, at every level of its leadership, has taken heroic efforts 
to mitigate spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus. With strong leadership 
from Gov. Phil Scott, and bolstered by a firm belief in scientific 
facts, the State nearly halted altogether the spread of COVID-19, 
minimized the number of Vermonters lost to the disease, and now leads 
the Nation in the percentage of residents who have received at least 
one vaccine shot. As we look to hopefully soon be on the other side of 
this pandemic, I strongly believe that there are invaluable lessons to 
be learned from Vermont's response, so that we are better prepared for 
the days, months, and years ahead.
  Aisha K. Jha's ``Vermont's and South Dakota's COVID Infection Rates 
are Remarkably Similar--But their Outcomes are Not'' article published 
in the Washington Post on July 13, 2021, reviews the important steps 
Vermont took to not only protect the health of its residents but also 
ensure that minimal economic damage was done given

[[Page S5042]]

the circumstances. A strong public health approach, led by Vermont 
Health Commissioner Mark Levine, always communicated scientific 
evidence clearly and thoughtfully. This fostered a sense of trust and 
community that has now resulted in Vermont nearing herd immunity and 
able to fully reopen local businesses for everyone to enjoy.
  I am so proud of every Vermonter who stepped up to do their part to 
not only protect themselves, but their families, friends, and 
neighbors. This is truly the Vermont way. I know that if all States 
followed Vermont's example, and continued to vaccinate all residents, 
we would be able to put this dark chapter of American history in our 
rearview mirror.
  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record the article 
mentioned above, about the important work in Vermont to protect our 
State from the COVID-19 pandemic.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Post, July 13, 2021]

   Vermont's and South Dakota's COVID Infection Rates Are Remarkably 
                  Similar--But Their Outcomes Are Not

                           (By Ashish K. Jha)

       Two states. Two different paths in responding to COVID-19. 
     Together, they offer invaluable lessons about the road ahead 
     for the nation--especially as infection rates creep up 
     because of the delta variant.
       The two states are Vermont and South Dakota. Both feature 
     among the three states that COVID Act Now classifies as 
     falling in the lowest-risk category, along with 
     Massachusetts. This may be a surprise. While New England 
     states are known to have done extraordinarily well in 
     vaccinating their populations, South Dakota is in the middle 
     of the pack. So, what explains the fact that South Dakota has 
     infection numbers almost as low as Vermont, the most 
     vaccinated state in the nation?
       Let's start with some basics. Vermont and South Dakota 
     share several important similarities. Both have relatively 
     White, older and rural populations. They have comparable 
     median incomes. Both states have Republican governors, 
     challenging the simplistic notion that COVID risk is a 
     partisan phenomenon.
       Over the past two months, the rates of infection in Vermont 
     and South Dakota have appeared remarkably similar. Both 
     states have seen steep declines in cases, making both states 
     near the best in terms of infections per population.
       But this is where the similarity ends. While nearly 75 
     percent of Vermonters have had at least one vaccine shot, 
     putting the state near the threshold for herd immunity, only 
     half of South Dakotans have had at least one shot. South 
     Dakota's substantial population immunity instead comes in 
     large part from prior infections, particularly during the 
     fall. This massive surge in infections was driven by the 
     Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in August that brought nearly half a 
     million people to South Dakota, sparking outbreaks across 
     that state and, indeed, the nation. With little to no 
     interest on the part of its governor to squelch the outbreak, 
     South Dakota reached the highest levels of infection seen by 
     any state during the pandemic. At its peak, the state was 
     reporting more than 160 new cases per 100,000 residents. 
     Vermont, in comparison, never climbed above 30 cases per 
     100,000.
       Unsurprisingly, these states experienced stunningly 
     different outcomes. Adjusted for population, nearly six times 
     as many people died in South Dakota from covid-19 as in 
     Vermont (230 per 100,000 in South Dakota compared to just 40 
     per 100,000 in Vermont). In real numbers, while about 250 
     Vermont residents died from the disease. more than 2,000 
     South Dakotans died. And as of today, Vermont has a lower 
     unemployment rate, suggesting that there need not be any 
     trade-off between public health and the economy.
       By some estimates, nearly half of the people of South 
     Dakota may have been infected. These infections led to huge 
     amounts of suffering beyond the deaths themselves. We are 
     seeing an increasing body of evidence that many who survive 
     serious illness from the virus have long-term complications 
     and symptoms. When infections spike, a run on hospital beds 
     means other people die because they can't access hospital 
     care, which almost surely occurred in South Dakota at the 
     height of the surge. Vermont took a different approach, 
     keeping public health measures in place to keep infections 
     low and then, building up population immunity through 
     excellent vaccination campaigns.
       The virus isn't going away. In fact, it is likely to become 
     endemic, meaning it will continue to circulate, occasionally 
     causing outbreaks in low-vaccination communities. Most people 
     will encounter the virus at one point or another. And if they 
     don't have immunity from vaccines, many will get sick. The 
     harms from infection are large, especially in comparison to 
     the generally mild side-effects of the vaccines. And there is 
     some evidence that the vaccine-induced immunity is more 
     effective than natural infection-induced immunity. As the 
     highly contagious delta variant spreads, states that have 
     experienced high levels of infection such as South Dakota may 
     be more vulnerable than highly vaccinated states such as 
     Vermont.
       In the spring of 2020, governors had to make decisions with 
     little federal guidance and little historical precedent. But 
     by that summer, it was much clearer how to curtail the 
     disease, protect public health and manage the economy 
     carefully. By following the science, Vermont saved an 
     enormous number of lives and has now reached a degree of 
     population immunity through vaccination that makes large 
     outbreaks unlikely. Embracing a policy of ``personal 
     responsibility,'' South Dakota did little to protect its 
     residents, leading to the deaths of more than 2,000 South 
     Dakotans and the suffering of tens of thousands more. To 
     avoid more unnecessary outbreaks, we need to learn from 
     states that have successfully weathered the pandemic, follow 
     the science and keep vaccinating Americans.

                          ____________________