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Vermont has two new clusters of Covid-19 cases, health department officials reported Wednesday: One among a family in Windham, another at a worksite in Fair Haven.
There were 20 new cases of the virus reported in Vermont on Wednesday morning, the highest number since June 3, when an outbreak peaked in Winooski.
Health Commissioner Mark Levine would not confirm the size of the Windham County cluster, saying it was limited to a single family of less than 10 people. The worksite in Rutland County has had 12 cases so far, he said at a press conference.
The state is currently testing some people in both areas, he said, and there will be opportunities for testing in the community later this week.
Levine said defining a “cluster” is complicated, but that it generally refers to a series of closely connected cases within a single area.
Pressed about the nature of the worksite outbreak, Levine declined to mention the name or industry of the employer, saying it could reveal private health information about the workers.
“Conveying that information could be identifying and injurious to the population,” he said, adding the workplace most likely did not have public contact, like people shopping.
The new information about the clusters comes as the outbreak in Winooski winds down. Levine said 114 people in total have tested positive in the area, only four new cases since June 21.
As previously reported, the outbreak in Winooski occurred mostly among younger Vermonters and less than half reported symptoms.
Levine did not release any demographic details about the new outbreaks, but mentioned that across the nation, an increasing number of young people are testing positive for the virus.
In Florida, for example, more people aged 18 to 35 are testing positive than ever before as the virus reaches new highs in cases this week.
Vermont’s latest outbreaks have seen a shift from the early days of the pandemic, when the most devastating outbreaks occurred in facilities, like long-term care homes and and prisons.
Instead, Winooski and Windham County have seen cases spread among social networks, while Fair Haven’s cluster occurred at a workplace.
