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During their lives, they were waitresses, chemists, roofing contractors and school custodians. They left behind spouses and children and in-laws. One was a World War II veteran.
They are the first victims of Covid-19 in Vermont.
In addition to those left behind, the death certificates reveal more information about who in the state is the most vulnerable — although with a sample size of only 21, those conclusions should still be taken as preliminary. As of April 9, the state had reported 23 deaths in people who were Covid-19 positive, but not all of them had death certificates filed.
The median age of a Covid-19 victim is 80, according to the death certificates provided by the Department of Health. The ages of victims ranged from early 40s to above 90.
Twelve of the 21 of the victims were men over the age of 60, suggesting the virus also has a disproportionate effect on older men. Men are only 46% of the Vermont population over 60.
But the data may be a reflection of the location of the earliest deaths: Seven of the deaths took place at Burlington Health and Rehab, a nursing home that has been the epicenter of dozens of cases.
All but one of the victims were white, non-Hispanic Vermonters, with a single Asian victim. That’s a little more white than the state itself, which was 93% white in the latest Census figures.
The latest figures include two cases where Covid-19 was not considered a “cause” of death but listed as another “contributing condition.” Some experts have said that deaths due to Covid-19 may be overreported if states include all deaths in Covid-19-positive patients in their numbers, since that may include people who died of other causes.
However, others have pointed out that health departments are also likely missing deaths due to Covid-19 in people who were never suspected of having the virus. New York City has said it will begin releasing numbers of suspected Covid-19 cases after the NYPost reported people were dying at home without being tested.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the death rate from Covid-19 in Vermont.
