The Department of Health reported three new cases of the coronavirus Friday, bringing the total cases confirmed in Vermont since the beginning of the pandemic to 1,589.
Three people were reported to be in the hospital with confirmed cases of the virus, and eight people hospitalized with suspected but not confirmed cases. To date, 58 people have died with the illness. No new deaths were reported.
As of Friday, the state reported that 126,755 people had been tested for the illness in Vermont since mid-March, an increase of 1,924 since Thursday.
At a press conference Friday, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine reiterated that Vermont’s testing guidelines will not change, even as the federal Centers for Disease Control changed its criteria earlier this week.
Levine said people who have Covid-19 symptoms should be tested. Anyone for whom a provider recommends a test also should be tested.
Those who have had close contact with someone who has tested positive can be tested, especially those who are part of or interact with a vulnerable population. Those people should also quarantine for 14 days, he said.
The health department’s travel-related quarantine policy for people who are coming into the state or returning from other areas can be found here.
The health department advises that those who think they may need to be tested to use the CDC’s Self-Checker tool.
Testing sites can be found at https://humanresources.vermont.gov/popups.
The health department’s full update for Aug. 28 is here.
— Cate Chant
