Vermont has set yet another record for its one-day case count, reporting 148 new cases of Covid Thursday, according to Department of Health data.
That record is the latest in a series of rising totals that began with a Washington County outbreak at an ice rink and have spread throughout the state. At a press conference Tuesday, officials predicted the case count could rise 50% over the next six weeks.
Washington County remains the worst hit area in the state, reporting 50 cases today. Chittenden County, site of a recent outbreak at the University of Vermont, reported 36.
Another death was reported in Rutland County, site of an outbreak at Rutland Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center that has reported at least 38 cases. Officials have not yet confirmed the location or details of today’s death.
Vermont ‘Trending Poorly’
For a time, Vermont was a rare green spot among a sea of surges in other states. Now, several national organizations rate Vermont as yellow or orange — such as Covid Exit Strategy, which says Vermont’s data is “Trending Poorly.”
Covid Exit Strategy, run by a coalition of public health and crisis experts, cites Vermont’s 286% rise in cases over the past 14 days and its high rate of cases per capita as reasons for the rating. Its testing metrics and test positivity rate (just over 2% in the past seven days) remain green.
The White House Covid Task Force report has placed Vermont in the orange zone. That makes it one of the few states not in the red zone for its cases and deaths, though Vermont has fallen out of green or yellow zones, where it had remained for months.
The White House report also said Vermont’s new case count was a key reason for the rating.
“Vermont is facing a severe challenge to its good control of the epidemic,” the report said. “Vermont has seen a sharp increase in new cases and an increase in test positivity.”
While the 2.1% test positivity rate is Vermont’s highest since May, it’s still one of the best in the country, according to Covid Exit Strategy.
