Bennington County has “high” Covid-19 levels, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday — the first time a Vermont county has reported high levels since June.
The CDC rating is based on recent case counts as well as hospital admissions and the percent of hospital beds occupied by Covid patients. The Vermont Department of Health reported “low” Covid statewide but does not break its rating down by county.
Bennington County has had “medium” Covid levels since June 30, according to the CDC.
According to The New York Times, Bennington County has reported about 12 cases per day in recent days, a 40% increase from two weeks before and the highest case rate in the state. Eleven people were hospitalized for the virus on average at any one time. That’s still far below the record-setting Omicron surge in January, when the county reported more than 30 Covid patients per day.
The CDC recommends that all residents of high-level counties take action to prevent Covid transmission, such as wearing masks, and that high-risk individuals consider limiting their indoor activities.
Rutland County has “medium” Covid levels, the CDC reported, and all other Vermont counties have “low” levels.
Covid case counts statewide have ticked up in recent weeks, according to the latest health department report. The state reported 638 cases in the past week, compared to 550 cases the week before.
Cases are based mostly on PCR test results and do not include at-home antigen testing. The positivity rate for PCR tests for the past seven days is 14%, indicating that PCR testing is low.
The department reported 45 hospital admissions for Covid in the past week, down from 52 last week. It did not release intensive care data as it typically does on Wednesdays due to a technical issue, spokesperson Ben Truman said via email, but that data should be updated in the next few days.
The department also did not report death data because of that technical issue. The CDC reported that Vermont has had no Covid-related deaths in the past seven days.