Vermont is back to “low” Covid-19 levels after two weeks of reporting “medium” levels, according to the state Department of Health’s latest weekly surveillance report.
Hospital admissions for Covid had risen in the past two weeks but now appear to be declining, according to the department. The number of emergency visits for Covid-like symptoms also declined and fell below visits for this point in 2021.
As of Wednesday, 44 people were hospitalized for Covid in Vermont, including three in intensive care.
There were 532 Covid cases reported in the past week, down from 595 cases the week before. The department bases case numbers primarily on PCR testing rather than at-home antigen tests.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedThursday that 11 of Vermont’s 14 counties had “medium” Covid levels, based on data from the previous week. Two counties, Rutland and Bennington, had “high” levels, and Windham had “low” levels.
The CDC recommends that high-risk individuals in medium-level counties wear a mask and take actions to protect themselves from Covid. It recommends the general public wear masks in high-level counties.
Cases and hospitalizations have remained mostly flat at a national level in recent weeks, The New York Times reported. Nearby New York and New Jersey report the highest case rates in the nation but lower hospitalizations and deaths.
The number of Covid deaths in Vermont rose significantly in October compared with previous months, according to the health department. The health department reported 14 additional deaths from Covid in Vermont in the past week, for a total of 25 deaths in October.
That’s compared with 12 in September and 19 in August. In total, 754 people have died of Covid since the beginning of the pandemic.
Bivalent booster uptake
Data from the health department suggests few Vermonters have gotten the updated bivalent booster vaccine for Covid, even among age groups at high risk for severe Covid complications.
About 20% of Vermonters 5 years and older are up-to-date on their vaccines, including the bivalent shot, according to the health department. Uptake among age groups varies from 6% of people 18 to 29 years old to 47% of people 75 and older.
Children from 5 to 11 years old have particularly low uptake of the bivalent booster, with roughly 3% now considered up-to-date. Children in that age group qualified for the booster in early October, about a month later than the adult population. The low rate might also be influenced by people who delayed their shot because of a recent Covid infection or another booster that gives them immunity to the disease.
But experts have expressed concern about whether Vermonters would be slow to get the vaccine because of the belief that the “pandemic is over.”
The bivalent booster, which was authorized by the federal government in September, targets the now-dominant Omicron strain of the virus, providing increased protection against severe disease and hospitalization, experts say. It’s available at pharmacies and state-run walk-in clinics.
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