The Vermont Department of Health reported 287 new Covid-19 cases Thursday, the second-highest total it’s disclosed since the start of the pandemic. It also reported one new Covid death — the fifth this month and 328th person who's died since the virus reached Vermont.
The state’s single-day record was set Sept. 15, when the department reported 330 cases — but officials later said that day’s count had been artificially inflated by a computer glitch that had delayed reporting. That suggests Thursday’s report could be the highest accurate case count Vermont has seen.
The latest report follows a 10-day stretch during which case counts dropped most days. On Tuesday, state officials said at a press conference that the data showed encouraging signs pointing toward the end of the Delta surge.
Vermont’s seven-day average Thursday was 180 cases per day, lower than the peak of 218.
All three Northeast Kingdom counties — Caledonia, Essex and Orleans — reported elevated case numbers on Thursday. But central Vermont had higher case counts, as well: Orange County reported its highest one-day total during the Delta surge with 15 cases, and Washington County reported 48 cases, compared with its recent average of 10-20 cases per day.
Thirty-five people were hospitalized with the virus Thursday, including eight people in intensive care units.
Long-term care outbreaks
Outbreaks among long-term care facilities showed progress this week, according to Department of Health data.
Eight facilities are reporting active outbreaks, compared with 11 on Sept. 28. Gill Odd Fellows Home, Vermont Veterans Home and an unnamed facility dropped off the department’s list of facilities with at least one case in the past 14 days.
The eight facilities with active outbreaks reported 163 total cases from those outbreaks. The department does not report the total number of cases in long-term care.
It also doesn’t regularly report deaths from long-term care outbreaks, but department spokesperson Ben Truman said on Sept. 28 that there have been 18 deaths from active long-term care outbreaks.
