Health Dept. data review finds 86 additional Covid deaths in Vermont

Following an analysis of Covid-19 data, the Vermont Dept. of Health is reporting a cumulative 86 additional Covid-associated deaths that occurred over the course of the pandemic but had not been previously reported. Most of these deaths occurred in 2022. This  brings the total number of Covid-19 deaths in Vermont to 877, as of Jan. 6.

 The additional deaths were identified through a health dept. review of Covid-19 data that took place shortly before the holidays. Deaths are reported by the Office of the Chief medical examiner and must be manually entered into the state’s epidemiology surveillance system. An analyst reviewing the data identified several reports that had not been entered. The  department said this was due in part to the reduction in staff capacity as it scaled back from peak emergency operation. 

Health Commissioner Mark Levine said, “I regret that these data were not reported in a more timely manner, but it is important to understand that because these deaths occurred over time — and spread across many months from across the state — we are confident this would not have had an impact on the trajectory of the data or on our approach to the pandemic.”

While Vermont’s Covid-19 death rate will now increase from 126 per 100,000 to 140 per 100,000, it is still the lowest in the continental U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Levine said the data team moved quickly to compile, review and enter the additional reports into the surveillance system.

For more information and current data, visit healthvermont.gov/covid-19 .