Uptick in Covid cases in s. Vermont towns, with Manchester, Springfield leading in number

By Cherise Madigan
©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC

Covid-19 cases continue to grow in Southern Vermont despite reports of decreasing case counts across the southern Vermont region, with Manchester recording 23 new cases between Jan. 20 and 27 and Springfield seeing 15 more cases with that time frame.

Three area towns — Manchester, Winhall, and Dover — still have case rates of “More than 80 cases per every 10,000 people.” (See Map)

“We are not aware of a specific event or events to explain the Manchester case level,” said Department of Health spokesman Ben Truman. “We do know that there have been several workplace and household outbreaks, resulting in increased community spread in the neighboring Bennington area since December.”

As The Telegraph explored last week, case rates  are a way that the state Department of Health compares the rise of Covid-19 cases by town by  using a “base population figure,” in this case 10,000.

Each week, the state reports the total number of Covid cases since March for towns with at least six cases.

According to Truman, less than 10 percent of cases in the past two weeks have been non-Vermont residents. Community spread is now happening throughout the state, he added.

“Sometimes we are able to determine how someone was most likely exposed — through contact with a known case or because they are part of an outbreak,” Truman continued. “Sometimes people do not know how they were exposed.”

Covid-19 Cases by Town

Cases recorded since the start of the pandemic March 3, 2020 to Jan. 27 2021

Town	Total Cases as of Jan. 27	Total Cases as of Jan. 20	Total Cases as of Jan. 13	Increase over Jan. 20	Population
Cavendish	14	14	14	0	1,406
Chester	42	41	35	1	3,154
Danby	23	19	16	4	1,311
Dorset	21	13	8	8	1,944
Dover	63	57	54	6	1,064
Grafton	9	7	6	2	679
Jamaica	12	12	10	0	1,030
Londonderry	36	34	34	2	1,677
Ludlow	36	35	33	1	1,885
Manchester	104	81	54	23	4,258
Mount Holly	10	7	6	3	1,244
Rockingham	82	73	71	9	5,282
Springfield	123	108	86	15	9,373
Weathersfield	35	34	29	1	2,761
Weston	6	6	N/A	0	566
Winhall	36	33	26	3	735

The chart below reflects area towns that have recorded less than 6 total cases since March and therefore do not have exact case counts available. The town of Peru saw an increase in cases since Jan. 20, although the other towns have a rate of “Less than 1 case per 10,000 people.”

Town	Cases per 10,000 as of Jan. 27	Cases per 10,000 as of Jan. 20	Population
Peru	41-80	21-40	375
Windham	<1	<1	419
Andover	<1	<1	467
Stratton	<1	<1	200
Landgrove	<1	<1	155

A new “Covid-19 in Communities” map will be released on Friday, Feb. 5.