Tracking Covid

Staff report

The Vermont Dept. of Health (DOH) reported 14 new Covid cases in Rutland County and 11 new cases in Windsor County, on Tuesday, Sept. 7 — in the past 14 days there have been 190 and 170 respectively.

These numbers underscore an ongoing surge in virus activity since the Delta variant surfaced early this summer. Officials with the DOH and CDC continue to urge the unvaccinated to get shots, as the Delta variant has shown itself to be more contagious than the regular strain of the disease, but less lethal for vaccinated persons.

As of Tuesday, Sept. 7, 86.4% of eligible Vermonters are partially or fully vaccinated.

The state reported Sunday, Sept. 5, that seven-day rolling average for cases statewide was 143. On Tuesday, Sept. 7 the DOH reported 114 new Covid cases statewide, for a total of 29,325 positive tests since the pandemic began. The daily case numbers are on par with the earlier waves of cases in January and April 2021 — not a favorable trend.

Despite the severity of the current wave, there are no state or municipal mask mandates in place, and the governor has said that without a state of emergency, such mandates would not be legal. Last week, a letter signed by 91 Vermont Dept. of Health employees urged Health Commissioner Mark Levine to advocate for more stringent health precautions to help curtail the spread of the Delta variant.

There are currently 33 people in hospitals being treated for the coronavirus, 13 of whom are in intensive care, according to state officials. Four people are currently being monitored in the hospital for possible Covid symptoms.

Two additional people have died from Covid since Friday, moving the total up to 282 Vermonters that have succumbed to the virus since the pandemic began, DOH officials said. About 1% of the state’s cases have resulted in death.

As of Wednesday, 86.4% of Vermonters age 12 and older have received at least one dose of a Covid vaccine.