VTDigger is posting regular updates on the coronavirus in Vermont on this page. You can also subscribe here for regular email updates on the coronavirus. If you have any questions, thoughts or updates on how Vermont is responding to COVID-19, contact us at coronavirus@vtdigger.org
A third person connected to the Pinecrest at Essex COVID-19 outbreak has died.
Bennett Truman, spokesperson for the Vermont Department of Health, confirmed the death in a text, after new numbers were released Tuesday.
A resident and the signficant other of an employee of the 104-unit apartment complex have also died of the virus.
No details about the individuals, including ages, have been released.
Pinecrest is a senior living facility in Essex Junction.
The total number of positive cases has risen to 293, up from 256 reported on Monday. Just four days ago, the total was 183.
Total deaths from COVID-19 in Vermont stand at 13.
Truman said that he did not know whether any of the new cases were associated with the Pinecrest outbreak.
Dr. Mark Levine, health commissioner, said Monday that one other Pinecrest resident had tested positive and 10 more were being monitored after “intense exposure.” Everyone who has been identified at Pinecrest as a possible contact is self-isolating, he said.
The state will not be testing all of the residents of the apartment complex, he said.
Pinecrest is the second facility for seniors that has suffered an outbreak. Burlington Health and Rehab has had seven deaths and 27 people associated with the facility test positive for COVID-19.
The state released daily COVID-19 hospitalization data for the first time on Tuesday. The number of patients under investigation for the virus is 52; the number of hospitalized patients who have the disease is 21. Hospital locations have not been provided.
More than 4,200 people in Vermont have been tested.
