Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported July 12 that COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are still considered "Low." Total cases for the week fell slightly, while hospitalizations declined. There were 12 deaths in June attributed to COVID so far after 32 in May. May saw an increase in fatalities from April and March. June had the fewest COVID fatalities since last July 2021 (2). As of July 12, there have been 4 deaths from COVID in Vermont. While new COVID-19 cases were down only slightly, hospitalizations were down about 40 percent.
Vermonters are reminded that all state COVID testing sites were closed as of June 25. PCR and take home tests will be available through doctors' offices, pharmacies and via mail from the federal government. See more information here: https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/testing
Vermont Department of Health Report Timeframe: July 3 to July 9, 2022
The VDH releases this weekly report on Wednesdays
Statewide community levels: Low. The rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Vermonters is below 200. New COVID-19 admissions are below 10 per 100,000 Vermonters per day, and the percent of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 is below 10%.
• New COVID-19 cases, last 7 days: 73.2 per 100K (down from 85.1)
o Weekly Case Count: 457 (decrease from previous week: 531)
• New hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19, last 7 days: 5.29 per 100K (down from 8.49)
o 33 total new admissions with COVID-19 (decrease from previous week: 53)
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by patients with COVID-19 (7-day average): 1.77% (decrease from previous week: 2.08%)
Vermont Department of Health recommendations: Protect Yourself & Others
CDC recommendations: COVID-19 by County | CDC
There were 49 COVID-19 related fatalities in Vermont in September 2021, and 47 deaths in October, which are the fifth- and sixth-worst months on record. There were 42 fatalities in November, 62 in December, and 65 in January 2022, 59 in February, 17 in March, 19 in April and 32 in May, as fatalities rose early in the month before falling off. There were 12 deaths in June. As of July 12, there have been 4 COVID-related fatalities in Vermont.
The Delta variant caused a surge in COVID-related fatalities last fall and into the winter. More than half of all deaths overall have been of Vermonters 80 or over.
While the highest concentration of deaths were from last September through February, December 2020 was the worst month with 71.
Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, said Tuesday that serious cases, especially deaths, are low. He said that while the BA4 and BA5 variants have caused an uptick in cases and hospitalizations across the nation, the Northeast has seen the smallest increase.
Dr Levine said he would expect, but was not sure at this point, that reconfigured vaccines and boosters would become available before next winter. He added that vaccines for the COVID virus would likely be an annual event, similar to how there is an annual flu shot that is configured for the particular active strains.
1 All Vermont hospitals and two urgent care clinics are included in ESSENCE.
