Covid cases fall

January saw record ICU visits, hospitalizations

By Polly Mikula

This week the Covid case numbers appear to be heading back to pre-Omricon levels after hitting record highs last month.

The state reported 284 cases on Saturday, 311 on Sunday, 149 on Monday and 206 on Tuesday. The seven-day average was 396 cases per day, a 41% decrease over the last seven days and 65% over the last 14 days. Monday’s 149 infections was the lowest one-day total since Nov. 26.

But, sate officials caution that case totals are lower earlier in the week,reflecting lower PCR testing numbers over the weekend — and that there’s less reported testing overall since the state now relies on Vermonters to self-report their antigen test results.

Week-to-week testing decreased 30%, according to Mike Pieciak, the commissioner of financial regulation. While the decreases are a welcome sign, January accounted for 38,280 cases — 37% of Vermont’s positive case numbers since the beginning of the pandemic. It was also the second deadliest month.

Unfortunately, all Covid stats aren’t trending down. Over the weekend the state saw an uptick in hospitalizations with 101 Covid patients in on Saturday. That number dropped to 82 by Tuesday. In January, hospitals had over 100 Covid patients consistently, reaching a peak of 122 on Jan. 19. ICU stays also remain high with 20 in critical care as of Feb. 8. The record high stands at 31.