Mayor Miro Weinberger is recommending that masks be worn in all indoor public spaces in Burlington as cases rise sharply across the region.
Chittenden County is approaching “high” levels of Covid-19 transmission, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Vermont Department of Health reported 44 new cases in Chittenden County on Friday, bringing the seven-day total to 167 cases, or roughly 102 per 100,000 residents. The CDC threshold for “high” transmission is 100 cases per 100,000 residents.
However, data published by the CDC on Friday afternoon diverges from state reporting. The CDC shows 152 cases, or 92.8 cases per 100,000 residents — what the agency considers “substantial” transmission. The CDC recommends universal indoor masking in counties with substantial spread.
Five other counties now meet that criteria, according to the CDC: Bennington, Franklin, Grand Isle, Orleans and Washington.
Health department data published Thursday further indicates the recent dominance of the Delta variant. Of 86 Covid-19 test samples collected from July 7 to 22 that were genetically sequenced to identify variants, 83 identified the Delta variant. Of those samples, 33 were from Chittenden County, where one case of the Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) was also detected.
Vermont officials forecast a continued rise in Covid-19 cases due to the more contagious Delta strain.
Mike Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, said Tuesday that cases will likely increase over the next four to five weeks. But due to the state’s high vaccination rate, he said, “there is no other state in the country better positioned to withstand the increase in cases with low hospitalizations and low fatalities.”
As of Friday, 84.2% of eligible Vermonters had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose. According to CDC data updated Friday, 67.8% of the state’s entire population is fully vaccinated.
Hospitalizations are now on the rise. The state reported that 10 people were hospitalized with Covid-19 on Wednesday, 11 on Thursday and 12 on Friday, the highest daily count since May 12. On Friday, eight of those people were in intensive care.
Vermont officials have said no new statewide preventive measures are planned.
“There is no state of emergency declaration in place as a mechanism for broad mandatory measures, and at this time the best preventative measure Vermonters can take is to get vaccinated,” Jason Maulucci, a spokesperson for Gov. Phil Scott, said in an email on Friday.
But the administration is now “exploring the possibility of state action on vaccine mandates, including in certain state-run facilities,” Maulucci said. Scott said Tuesday that some state employees were expected to return to work in state offices in September.
Weinberger said Friday that his office intends to finalize a vaccine mandate for Burlington city employees. The policy would “require City staff to either be fully vaccinated by the end of September or submit to regular Covid testing,” according to a statement.
Several private institutions this week tightened rules around indoor masking and vaccination.
At least six hospitals are requiring some or all employees to be vaccinated, including those in the University of Vermont Health Network. UVM Health announced Friday that, effective Oct. 1, it will require employees to be vaccinated for Covid-19 or face weekly testing. The network is the largest employer in the region to issue a vaccine mandate.
Several area colleges, including the University of Vermont and Dartmouth College, have imposed indoor mask mandates for all people on campus.
