Vermont’s Covid-19 community levels remained “low” in the past week, the state Department of Health reported Wednesday.
Hospital admissions continue to fall from their peak the week of Jan. 4, when 67 newly hospitalized Covid patients pushed the state’s Covid levels up to “medium.” This week, the department reported only 31 hospital admissions for the disease.
As of Wednesday, 35 people were hospitalized in Vermont for Covid, including five in intensive care, the department reported.
Covid cases remained relatively flat this week. The department reported 423 Covid cases in the past week, compared to 432 the week before. Case counts are primarily based on PCR tests and do not include at-home antigen testing.
At the same time, two Covid metrics showed signs of rising: The department reported four Covid outbreaks in school and child care centers, the first such outbreaks reported since the winter holidays. Long-term care facilities also reported three new outbreaks, up from two the week before.
According to the department’s report, an outbreak is defined as at least three Covid cases that are “epidemiologically linked” together, meaning that transmission could have occurred.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reported that several wastewater testing sites — three in Chittenden County and one in Bennington County — had rising levels of Covid in their viral samples. It’s unclear exactly where those sites are located because of how the agency reports data.
The CDC reported that only Bennington County reported “medium” Covid levels as of Thursday, while Vermont’s 13 other counties reported “low” levels of Covid.
The department reported three additional Covid deaths in Vermont in the past week, bringing January’s total to eight. In total, 884 people have died in the state since the beginning of the pandemic nearly three years ago.
Cases and hospitalizations remain elevated in Northeastern states, but several of the region’s hardest-hit areas are showing signs of decline, according to The New York Times. Hospitalizations in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are flat or falling. Hospitalizations in Rhode Island have risen, but remain low compared to the national average.
Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina in particular have reported high rates of Covid in recent weeks, The Times reported.
The nation’s flu surge appears to be receding as well, according to CDC data. The number of states reporting “high” or “very high” flu levels have shrunk. The Vermont Department of Health reported low flu levels in its most recent report on Jan. 7.