Vermont reported 85 new Covid cases Monday, in line with the data during the weekend, as the state combats the latest wave of the pandemic.
The state had 86 cases Sunday and 86 cases Saturday, according to the state Department of Health, bringing the total number of cases up to 3,714.
Another death was added for Rutland County during the weekend, and Monday evening WCAX reported a fifth death at Rutland Health and Rehab, bringing the state’s total up to 64. On Friday, officials had reported three deaths in Rutland County nursing homes that were connected to the virus.
Eighteen people are currently hospitalized for the virus, a decline from the recent peak of 21 on Sunday. Three people are in the ICU.
New test records
More than 10,000 tests were reported for last Tuesday and Friday, the highest number of tests performed in a single day since the start of the pandemic, state data shows.
The rise in testing may be connected to a new state initiative to provide better access to testing, particularly for staff of K-12 schools. The state plans to perform across-the-board tests of K-12 staff over the coming weeks.
The previous testing records were set when college students arrived in Vermont in late August. Aug. 27 still holds the record for most unique individuals tested in a single day.
As of Monday, the state had performed 523,000 total tests on 215,000 individuals. Many people are tested repeatedly as part of testing initiatives, and people with the virus may be tested multiple times to see if they still have the disease in their system.
The state’s seven-day positivity rate has fallen from its high of over 2% to a new average of 1.6%. Test positivity rate is an important indicator of how well the state is tracking and testing for the virus, and the state’s reopening metrics define a test positivity rate of 5% or more as cause for concern.
