The state identified 71 new coronavirus positive cases Saturday — the largest increase of any single day so far — and reported three new deaths in Vermont. Sunday brought 52 more.
The new cases bring the total number of positive coronavirus tests in the state since the beginning of the outbreak to 512. Thus far, 22 people have died in Vermont from the virus.
Ben Truman, of the Vermont Department of Health attributed the sharp increase to the expanded testing efforts at facilities where the virus had been detected.
“There was a large increase in the number of tests conducted as part of our outbreak response efforts for these facilities,” he said.
As of Saturday, the state reported that 5,844 tests had been conducted, an increase of 616 over the total reported Friday.