Vermont hits daily, weekly records of Covid cases Dr. Levine sees 'true post-Thanksgiving surge;' 74% of those hospitalized, 81% of ICU patients are not fully vaccinated

©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC

In a trend that’s all too familiar, Vermont’s Covid-19 case numbers have again set new records, with a new daily total of 740 recorded on Friday, Dec. 10 and a new weekly record of 3,428, jumping by nearly 800 from the last previous record of 2,627 set two weeks ago.

The Vermont total now stands at 55,057 cases since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

On Tuesday, Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine acknowledged that “this is a true post-Thanksgiving surge.” He and other state officials again emphasized the need to be vaccinated and boosted. Levine went on to add that Vermonters should not consider themselves “fully protected” until they’ve gotten their booster.

Commissioner Mike Pieciak of the state Department of Financial Regulation said that with this latest post-holiday surge, although the weekly total was up by 54 percent, there was a similar increase in testing, up 53 percent.

Local school numbers

The reported school numbers from Vermont’s Health Department website, dated Dec. 6, showed:

• Zero new cases, 14 in total at Chester-Andover Elementary;
• no new cases and eight in total at Ludlow Elementary School;
• six new cases and 14 in total at Green Mountain High;
• no new cases, two in total reported at Cavendish Town Elementary School.

In Springfield: Zero new cases and 21 in total have been reported at Riverside Middle School; Elm Hill shows 1 new case, 32 in total; Union Street School is showing one new case in this past week, 26 in total; Springfield High School showed one new case, 12 in total; and River Valley Tech showed zero new cases, two in total.

Total statewide K-12 numbers reported 246 new Covid cases with 2,291 since the school year began.

Area town numbers show a decline but county numbers are up

Local Covid-19 numbers have lessened somewhat with Chester reporting 22 new cases, down from their record of 36 cases last week. That brings Chester’s total to 321 for the entire pandemic.

Springfield numbers are also down with 110 cases reported this week, a decrease from their record 124 last week. Ludlow reported eight new cases this week, an uptick from seven last week. Cavendish reported three new cases, down from eight last week. Those community updates can be seen here.

Overall, new cases in Windsor County continued to increase with 469 cases this week, up from 379 reported last week, which included the additional Thanksgiving totals. Windham County also continued to rise with 208 new cases reported, up from 167 reported last week.

Deaths are up; hospitalizations,positivity both down slightly

Thirteen Vermonters have died from Covid this week, up from 10 last week, bringing the total to 429. Of the most recent deaths, three were over 80 years old, four were age 70 to 79, one was age 60 to 69, three were age 50 to 59, and two were age 40-49.

Currently, 78 people are hospitalized with Covid-19, down from 81 reported last week. The number of people in intensive care has increased from 22 to 24. The positivity rate receded from 5.1 to 4.8 percent. On Tuesday, Pieciak said that 74 percent of hospitalizations, and 81 percent of ICU cases are Vermonters who are not fully vaccinated.

Mike Smith, Vermont Secretary of the Agency of Human Services, again said that additional ICU beds continue to be added throughout the state.

In this report, the total positive case numbers, deaths and other statistics are based on data from Friday, Dec. 3, to Friday Dec. 10, published on the Health Department’s Case Dashboard.

Nearly 21,000 Vermont kids signed up for vaxx

Tlso on Tuesday, Smith said nearly 21,000 Vermont students in the 5 to 11 age range have received or have signed up to get the newly approved Pfizer vaccine, which is more than 47 percent of that population.

Parents must have made an appointment for their child to receive the vaccine. Appointments for both the school-based and state-run clinics can be made at healthvermont.gov/KidsVaccine or by calling 855-722-7878. Families may need to add their child as a dependent in the registration system.

On Tuesday, Gov. Phil Scott and the Vermont Agency of Education announced a $2 million school vaccine incentive program. On Wednesday,  The Chester Telegraph reported that could translate into thousands of dollars for Two Rivers Supervisory Union schools in our area.

Vermont remains a national leader for vaccination rates across most categories. Vaccination rates for ages 12+ stand at 94.4 percent of eligible Vermonters having received at least one dose of vaccine, up from 93.6 percent last week. Vermonters ages 5+ who have received at least one dose is at 84 percent, up from 83 percent. Windsor County now has an 81 percent vaccination rate up from 80 percent last week, while Windham County is at remained at 82 percent. For vaccination details, visit the Vaccine Dashboard.

Boosters are now available for Vermonters over age 18 for all vaccines. According to Pieciak, 67.4 percent of eligible Vermonters have received their booster dose, a leader in the nation in this category as well.

To schedule your booster shot, check for availability at walk-in vaccine locations below or check for clinics by appointment by clicking here. You can also make an appointment on line here.

Nearest walk-up clinics and by-appointment clinics for children

Friday, Dec. 10

School Clinic: Riverside Middle School, Springfield, 7-8 p.m. (5-11)

Saturday, Dec. 11

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 53 Fairview St., Brattleboro, 9 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. (12+)

Monday, Dec. 13

School Clinic: Dothan Brook School, White River Jct., 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (5-11)

School Clinic: Weathersfield School, Ascutney, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (5-11)

Diamond Run Mall, Rutland, 8:30 -11 a.m. (12+)

Tuesday, Dec. 14

School Clinic: Riverside Middle School, Springfield, 7-8 p.m. (5-11)

School Clinic: Elm Hill School, Springfield 9 -11 a.m. (5-11)

School Clinic: Union Street School, Springfield, 1 -3 p.m. (5-11)

School Clinic: Ottaquechee School, Quechee, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. (5-11)

Diamond Run Mall, Rutland, 8:30 -11 a.m. (12+)

Grace Cottage Hospital, 133 Grafton Rd., Townshend, 8 a.m. – noon (12+)

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 53 Fairview St., Brattleboro, 9 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. (12+)

Brattleboro VFW, 40 Black Mountain Rd., Brattleboro, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (12+)

Crystal Palace, 72 Depot St., Manchester Center, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (12+)

Community Health Pediatrics, 1 General Wing Rd., Rutland, 4:30-6 p.m. (5-11)

Wednesday, Dec. 15

School Clinic: Riverside Middle School, Springfield, noon – 5 p.m. (12+)

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 53 Fairview St., Brattleboro, 9 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. (12+)

Thursday, Dec. 16

School Clinic: Hartford High School, White River Jct., 4-7 p.m. (12+), 7-8 p.m. (5-11)

Diamond Run Mall, Rutland, 8 -11 a.m. (12+)

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 53 Fairview St., Brattleboro, 9 a.m. – 12:35 p.m. (12+)

Asa Boomer State Bldg, 88 Merchants Row, Rutland, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (12+)

Friday, Dec. 17

School Clinic: Riverside Middle School, Springfield, 7-8 p.m. (5-11)

School Clinic: Windsor Elementary School, Windsor, 9 a.m. – noon (5-11)

Diamond Run Mall, Rutland, 8:30 -11 a.m. (12+)

Crystal Palace, 72 Depot St., Manchester Center, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (12+)

Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, 17 Belmont St., Brattleboro, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (12+)

For details on all vaccination locations or to schedule an appointment, visit Vermont Health Department website or call 855-722-7878.