Larner College of Medicine News & Media

Dr. First Offers Back-to-School COVID Advice in NBC5 Interview

August 30, 2023 by Lucy Gardner Carson

(AUGUST 30, 2023) Lewis First, M.D., M.S., professor and chair of pediatrics, spoke to NBC5 about gearing up for a potential rise in COVID-19 cases as the school year begins.

Lewis First, M.D., M.S., professor and chair of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine and chief of pediatrics at the UVM Children’s Hospital

(AUGUST 30, 2023) Lewis First, M.D., M.S., professor and chair of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine and chief of pediatrics at the UVM Children’s Hospital, spoke to NBC5 about gearing up for a potential rise in COVID-19 cases as the school year begins.

The latest data published by the Vermont Department of Health shows the weekly average number of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 increased from zero to five last week. And now hospitals like the UVM Medical Center are preparing to potentially see more as kids head back to the classroom.

First says students can protect themselves by “getting vaccinated, washing their hands, and wearing those masks if someone at home is sick, [or] if someone in the classroom doesn’t have a healthy immune system.”

The Vermont Agency of Education strongly recommends that students get the COVID-19 vaccine, even though it is not yet one of the vaccinations the state requires students to receive within the first two weeks of classes.

Read full story at NBC5