Outside a mobile home in Franklin County, large white chickens patrol the yard. Green fields roll out in every direction. Big sky stretches overhead. This is where several dairy workers live.
Among them is Eva. We鈥檙e using first names to protect worker identity and avoid employment or legal repercussions.
Eva is 30, and has worked at this large dairy farm for 12 years. She has a daughter in the 6th grade, and when Eva isn鈥檛 on her 12-hour shift or getting ready for the next day, they play.
Elean, 21, has been at this farm for about two years. He currently works the night shift, solo, in the barn.
鈥淪o I work all night, and I'm the one that moves the cow,鈥� he said.
During the day, Elean says he tries to sleep and get a little bit of exercise 鈥� he lifts weights.
Like many farm workers, neither Eva or Elean have a lot of free time, which is one barrier for both COVID vaccination efforts and health access in general.
鈥淭here's a lot of challenges around access to transportation, access to language supports, depending on whether we're working with the Jamaican population or working with the Latino farm worker population,鈥� said Naomi Wolcott-MacCausland, the migrant health coordinator with University of Vermont Extension. 鈥淐ompounded by the fact that we are dealing with a new virus and new vaccines and hesitancy that come along with that.鈥�
Despite those challenges, community health partners here in Vermont have vaccinated more than 1,500 farm workers. Wolcott-MacCausland says the inoculation rate among these communities mirrors the state's overall high vaccination,
The pandemic, however, stretches on, driven by the more-contagious delta variant. While vaccinations are highly effective at , the virus remains highly prevalent.
And the need for improved health care for farm workers continues.
A COVID vaccine campaign
To help get farm workers immunized, Wolcott-MacCausland says UVM Extension patched together grants to hire bilingual nurses and other help. They recently for an education campaign, in both Spanish and English, about the benefits of adult inoculations.
This past year, UVM Extension coordinated vaccinations in 13 of Vermont鈥檚 14 counties, partnering with local health services and using a combination of on-farm clinics, state-sponsored clinics, BIPOC clinics and pharmacy appointments. They reached about 900 people.
鈥淪o that's a mix of dairy workers, ground-crops-now-orchard workers, farm owners, local workers,鈥� Wolcott-MacCausland said.
oversaw efforts in Addison County. They say more than 600 workers there received at least one shot for COVID-19.
Eva and Elean both participated in an on-farm immunization clinic this spring. Elean says he received both language and technology help for his second appointment, which was at a pharmacy.
Now that the delta variant is spreading, Wolcott-MacCausland says migrant health providers are returning to public health messaging, hoping to prevent any new cases in farm worker housing. In some cases, , with multiple adults sharing rooms.
鈥淥nce somebody has COVID, within, you know, a group living situation, it's a really challenging scenario,鈥� Wolcott-MacCausland said.
Over 120 workers have been infected with COVID-19 since January, when UVM Extension and Open Door Clinic began collecting data. One person was hospitalized.
Before that, the only other known positive coronavirus cases occurred last October at Champlain Orchards in Shoreham, shortly after they arrived from Jamaica.
Staying safe on the farm
Back at the Franklin County farm, no one appears to have gotten sick. But people here are still being careful. The day we meet up, everyone is wearing masks, even outside.
Elean says they limit their outings to the essentials: 鈥淵ou know, we do go out to the store sometimes, but then we just come right back here.鈥�
And Eva says they鈥檙e not seeing friends off the farm: 鈥淵eah, we're not really interacting with other people.鈥�
The pandemic has also disrupted school routines for Eva鈥檚 daughter, who has to deal with unreliable internet at home.
鈥淪o before the pandemic, sometimes like if we had a cold or something like that, oftentimes we just go to work, but now with the pandemic, we're not sure, do we go to work?鈥�Eva, dairy farm worker in Franklin County
Both workers say one of their biggest concerns now is not knowing what to do if and when someone does get sick.
鈥淪o before the pandemic, sometimes like if we had a cold or something like that, oftentimes we just go to work, but now with the pandemic, we're not sure, do we go to work?鈥� Eva said.
Elean says it would be helpful to have a conversation with their boss.
After our visit, Wolcott-MacCausland followed up with the farmer. He said he planned to remind workers at their next meeting they have a week of paid sick time each year,
More of that on-the-ground, community connection is what Wolcott-MacCausland says is needed to serve the health care needs of farm workers, both during the pandemic and beyond.
VPR co-reported this story with VTDigger. You can find a Spanish version , which we produced in partnership with
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