Vermont’s Covid-19 community levels are “low,” the state Department of Health reported Wednesday as the Christmas and New Year’s holidays approach.
At the same time, some Covid metrics in Vermont remain elevated. The department reported 61 hospital admissions for the virus in the past week, double the total for two weeks ago.
As of Wednesday, 39 people were hospitalized for Covid in Vermont, including eight in intensive care. The number of hospitalized people each day has varied from 30 to 50 so far in December, compared to about 20 to 35 in late November. It remains below a recent peak of 80 hospitalizations in mid-October.
As of Dec. 15, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control rated five of Vermont’s 14 counties as having “medium” Covid levels, up from only one county — Rutland — the week before. Orleans, Lamoille, Caledonia and Bennington counties, in addition to Rutland, had medium levels in the past week.
All other Vermont counties had low Covid levels, the CDC reported. The agency recommends that high-risk people in medium-level counties take extra precautions, such as wearing a mask in public places.
The health department reported 437 Covid cases in the past week, a slight decrease from 448 cases the week before. Case data is primarily based on PCR tests and does not include at-home antigen testing.
The department reported 10 additional deaths from Covid in the past week, bringing December’s total to 10 deaths so far this month. That’s compared to 22 deaths in total for the month of November.
Deaths are often added retroactively to the data due to delays in processing death certificates. In total, 791 people have died of Covid in Vermont since the beginning of the pandemic.
Nation fights Covid wave as Christmas approaches
At the national level, Covid cases, hospitalizations and deaths are still rising, according to data from The New York Times. New York City and Long Island are hotspots for the disease, making New York state the second-highest in the nation for its Covid hospitalization rate.
Some states that were affected in the early days of the BQ.1.1 subvariant, like Arizona and New Mexico, have started to report falling case counts, according to the Times. The BQ.1.1 and BQ.1 Omicron subvariants are currently the dominant strains in the nation, according to the CDC.
Public health experts have expressed concern that holiday gatherings could accelerate the spread of Covid, along with infectious diseases like the flu or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Flu activity is high in Vermont, the health department reported on Dec. 16, up from “moderate” levels the previous week. According to the CDC, Vermont’s high rating is in line with national trends.
Health officials and doctors told VTDigger in November that there are several steps Vermonters can take to prevent the spread of Covid and other illnesses at holiday gatherings.
Getting vaccinated with the most recent bivalent booster is one of experts’ top recommendations. Walk-in Covid and flu vaccine clinics will be open through Dec. 23, according to the health department website.
Experts recommend staying home if you are sick, regardless of whether it’s from Covid, the flu or another illness. If it is Covid, you should be safe to come out of isolation after five or six days if your symptoms have abated, but it’s a good idea to get tested, too.
Consider taking an antigen test the day before a holiday gathering, particularly if you are sharing space with high-risk people, experts recommended. You can also plan an outdoor gathering, improve ventilation in an indoor space, or wear a mask during times when people aren’t eating.
