The Vermont Department of Health reported 497 new Covid-19 cases Wednesday, the highest one-day total in six days after a week of lowered case counts due to relaxed holiday testing.
At a press conference Tuesday, officials warned that limited testing could distort the reported case numbers in the state. It’s unclear how long that testing drop could affect the data, but the number of tests reported Wednesday — about 5,400 — remains lower than the pre-Thanksgiving average.
Meanwhile, Vermont continues to report more than 80 hospitalizations as a result of Covid-19, a clearer sign of the lingering effects of November’s surge. In total, 81 people are in Vermont hospitals with the virus, including 22 in intensive care units.
The department also disclosed three new deaths. In total, 413 people have died since the pandemic began in March 2020, including 37 in November
Southwest case spread
The latest town-by-town data comes with an important caveat: The department reported it a day earlier than normal, throwing off the normal 14-day case counts.
However, it still allows for some comparisons among cities and towns. And by that standard, the pattern is clear: The Northeast Kingdom continues to report elevated case counts, while Rutland County and southern Bennington County reported even more towns with cases in the highest category of case spread.
[Looking for data on breakthrough cases? See our reporting on the latest available statistics.]
Among the communities with the highest rate of case spread — defined as more than 80 cases per 10,000 people over those 13 days — are Rutland and Bennington.
Use the table below to see how particular communities’ cases are faring, or check out the Department of Health map to see geographic patterns in case rates.
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