More than 500 Vermonters have died from Covid-19.
The state Department of Health reported eight more deaths Wednesday, bringing the death toll for the pandemic to 507.
Nearly half of those deaths — 249 — have occurred since July 2021, when the Delta variant began driving up case counts after a spring lull.
Despite the protection offered by vaccines and clinical treatments, the number of deaths rose during the Delta wave more quickly than at any other time during the pandemic, according to health department data. Vermont reported 62 deaths last month, continuing a record-breaking streak of severe outcomes. December 2021 was the second-deadliest month of the pandemic.
The state has reported 25 deaths so far in January.
While the more contagious Omicron variant has already driven case counts to record-high levels this month, the effects of those cases are likely still to be seen. Fatality trends during previous surges lagged behind case trends by several weeks. State officials now project that deaths will remain elevated at least through early February.
State data reflects a trend that has been known since the start of the pandemic: No one is at greater risk of death from Covid-19 than older adults.
Vermonters 80 or older account for 252 deaths, nearly half of the total. Roughly 88% of the state’s Covid-19 deaths occurred in people age 60 and up.
[‘People forget quickly’: Families of Vermonters lost to Delta grapple with grief]
However, the impact of Vermont’s vaccination and Covid-19 prevention efforts is visible in at least one statistic: Vermont has the second-lowest Covid-19 fatality rate per capita of any state throughout the pandemic, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compiled by The New York Times.
The health department reported 1,344 new Covid-19 cases Wednesday, moving the seven-day average to 1,603 cases per day, according to the Department of Health dashboard.
The state also hit a record of 122 Covid-19 hospitalizations Wednesday, breaking its previous record of 116 patients in Vermont hospitals on Tuesday. Wednesday’s total includes 25 patients in intensive care units.
With Covid-19 cases falling in Vermont and in New England over the past week, the Department of Financial Regulation, which keeps the state’s coronavirus statistics, predicted cases would “slow and possibly decline in the coming weeks” in a weekly modeling report — one that Commissioner Mike Pieciak normally presents at a weekly press conference. The press conference was preempted this week by Gov. Phil Scott’s budget address.
The seven-day Covid-19 case average in Vermont has decreased 9% over the past week, according to the report. PCR testing increased 2% at the same time, suggesting the drop was not driven by lower testing rates during the holiday weekend.
The state reported nearly 11,000 cases in the past week, about 2,100 fewer than the week before. All 14 counties in the state reported fewer cases this week compared with the last.
The change in the region is even more dramatic. Cases have fallen 34% in New England in the past week, led by steep declines in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Nearby New York, New Jersey and Quebec are also reporting lower case counts.
[Looking for data on breakthrough cases? See our reporting on the latest available statistics.]
But at the same time, Vermont is still straining to deal with its heavy caseload in its hospitals, schools and long-term care facilities.
The seven-day average number of patients hospitalized with Covid-19 has increased 18% in the past week, and critical care use has increased 34%, according to the department report. About 58% of patients in hospitals and critical care were unvaccinated.
Hospital and ICU capacity has fallen once again. The number of beds available in the state declined steadily during the Delta surge, then bumped up during a lull in cases in December.
But bed availability has almost returned to its record lows, with only 27 hospital beds open statewide on Wednesday, compared with more than 100 open beds in the days before Christmas. Hospital staff and administrators have reported growing strain on the health care system.
Long-term care facilities also have reported more than 268 cases among 15 active outbreaks, the highest total since the Delta surge began.
Colleges and universities are experiencing the effects of Omicron, too. Vermont higher education institutions have reported more than 300 cases per week for the first two weeks of the semester — compared with a range of 17 to 132 cases per week during the fall semester.
The Department of Health said Tuesday that it would no longer report weekly case data in K-12 schools. On Jan. 11, it reported more than 300 cases among K-12 students and staff — the highest total so far in the school year.
Vermont continues to rank well in its vaccination progress. More than 95% of Vermonters 5 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 82% are fully vaccinated, the highest percentage in the nation.
Far fewer Vermonters have received the booster dose. About 59% of Vermont adults have received a booster dose.
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