Vermont reported 122 new cases of the virus Monday, a new record and the latest sign of the rising tide of the pandemic’s latest wave, according to Department of Health data.
The Health Department reported Monday night that there have been 789 cases in the past two weeks. The state incidence rate is 12.6 per 10,000 people.
Once again, cases were concentrated in Washington County, epicenter of an outbreak that began at an ice rink and spread to several schools, workplaces, and St. Michael’s College. The county had 40 new cases of the virus on Monday, with Chittenden County reporting 28 and Orange County 15.
In Washington County there are a total of 233 cases “with an incidence rate of nearly 40 cases per 10,000 people – over three times the state rate.” A total of 68 are in Orange County, which has an incidence rate of 23.5 per 10,000 people.
The Scott administration will hold meetings with municipal officials in Washington and Orange counties to promote compliance with the governor’s executive orders and state health mandates in an attempt to reduce the number of new cases.
In all, Chittenden County has the highest total number of cases with 189 reported and an incidence rate of 11.5 per 10,000. Essex County has 14 active cases.
The state has 19 people currently hospitalized for the virus, a decline from a peak of 21 but still higher than in previous weeks. One hospitalized person is in the ICU.
Another rising metric is Vermont’s positivity rate, a measure of how many people test positive for the virus. The Department of Health reports it as 1.6% over the past week, higher than it has been in previous months, but far lower than the peak of more than 10% in April.
When will we know if Scott’s restrictions worked?
On Friday, Gov. Phil Scott announced new measures to combat the virus, including a ban on any multi-household social events or gatherings. He said 71% of new cases of the virus have come from informal gatherings.
His order also closed bars, set a 10 p.m. curfew on restaurants, and closed down recreational youth sports leagues, although K-12 sports leagues remain open.
Most controversially, he has asked Vermonters not to go on outdoor walks with neighbors and friends.
Even if these measures are effective, it’s likely that cases will continue to rise in the near future. Covid has an incubation period ranging from 2 to 14 days, according to the CDC. That means even people who were exposed before Friday can still show up in the data in the coming days.
In the past, the Department of Financial Regulation has used a 10-day and a 14-day window to determine how effective closures were and to measure whether reopening measures caused an increase in cases.
Hospitalizations and deaths may continue for far longer. People infected with the disease may remain in the hospital getting treated for weeks or months before being discharged or dying of the disease.
The data over the next few weeks will show a clearer picture of how new closures and restrictions affect Vermont.
In a statement issued Monday night, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said “cases are up in every county in Vermont.”
“We are monitoring and investigating more than 50 active situations in Washington and Orange Counties, meaning additional follow-up is needed in addition to normal contact tracing, such as notification of a worksite, school, or healthcare facility, or coordination of testing in response to a large number of exposures,” Levine said. “We need to do all we can to focus people’s efforts on prevention and containment.”
Editor’s note: This story was updated at 5:42 a.m. with new information from the Health Department. Anne Galloway contributed reporting.
