VDH: COVID cases fall as state updates report with more fatalities – Vermont Biz

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Vermont Business Magazine The Vermont Department of Health reported January 4, 2023, that hospitalizations have increased, but overall COVID-19 cases fell to a “Low” 391. COVID-19 activity remains at a “Medium” level after being in the “Low” range in the late fall, according to the VDH. Hospitalizations rose to 67 last week (they were as low as 30 last fall). 
Following an analysis of COVID-19 data, the VDH 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 January 6. 
VermontBiz will re-calculate monthly COVID death totals in next week’s report.
Vermont has the second lowest fatality rate in the US (126 per 100K).
There were 12 deaths from COVID in Vermont in both June and July. During July 2021, there were only 2 deaths. The Delta variant then took off in August 2021.
As of this report, there were a total of 9 outbreaks, with none in the school/childcare segment and 6 in long-term care facilities. Outbreaks have fallen significantly since earlier this fall.
Starting in January 2023, walk-in clinics will transition to more limited hours and close by January 31. Learn more
Vermonters are reminded that all state COVID testing sites were closed as of June 25. PCR and take-home tests are available through doctors’ offices, pharmacies and via mail from the federal government. Take home tests are also available at the state walk-in booster clinics. See more information BELOW or here: https://www.healthvermont.gov/covid-19/testing
Statewide community levels: Medium. For this seven-day reporting period, the rate of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 Vermonters is below 200. New COVID-19 admissions are above 10 per 100,000 Vermonters per day, and the percent of staffed hospital beds occupied by COVID-19 is below 10%.
• New COVID-19 cases, last 7 days: 62.66 per 100k
o Weekly case count: 391
• New hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19, last 7 days: 10.74 per 100K
o 67 total new admissions with COVID-19
• Percent of staffed inpatient beds occupied by patients with COVID-19 (7-day average): 5.64%
Current Surveillance Report Summary:
Vermont’s COVID-19 Community Level is MEDIUM.
The rate of COVID-19 among people being admitted to the hospital is in the MEDIUM range. 
The following COVID-19 Community Level indicators are in the LOW range:
The volume of people going to emergency departments due to COVID-like symptoms is lower than the same time of year in 2021.
Outbreaks and situations of concern in long-term care, corrections, and health facilities remains significantly lower than in May 2022.
There is nothing of immediate concern in Vermont’s wastewater data, which tends to show weekly variation but overall remains significantly lower than the Spring of 2022.
Vermont Department of Health recommendations: Protect Yourself & Others
CDC recommendations: COVID-19 by County | CDC
Vermont has the second lowest fatality rate in the US (126 per 100K), behind Hawaii (124/100K). Mississippi (440/100K) and Oklahoma (439/100K) are the highest (CDC). There has been a total of 1,082,265 COVID-related deaths to date in the US and 7,507,739 globally (WHO).
VDH reports 86 previously unidentified COVID deaths
The Delta variant caused a surge in COVID-related fatalities last fall and into the winter. More than half of all deaths overall have been of Vermonters 80 or over.
While the highest concentration of deaths was from September 2021 through February 2022, December 2020 was the worst month with 72.
Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, has said the Omicron variants are highly transmissible and have caused an uptick in cases and hospitalizations across the nation; the Northeast has seen the smallest increase.
The state has set up walk-in clinics for the new, reconfigured vaccines and boosters. They are open now. See list HERE. The CDC gave approval to the new Omicron vaccines on August 31. The highly infectious, though less dangerous, BA.4 and BA.5 variants have become dominant this year, though new subvariants of those variants are beginning to appear.
Vermont Health Commissioner Dr Mark Levine believes that vaccines for the COVID virus would likely be an annual event, similar to how there is an annual flu shot that is configured for the particular active strains. He is also expecting an active flu season.
The updated booster is for people 12 and older who have completed their primary COVID-19 vaccine series and received their last booster or additional dose at least two months ago. Look for Pfizer Bivalent Booster 12+ and Moderna Bivalent Booster 18+ in the list of walk-in clinics. Bivalent boosters are also available at some pharmacies across the state beginning this week. Contact pharmacies directly for details on available products and scheduling. 
On October 12, the FDA authorized updated COVID-19 booster shots for children as young as 5.

Find COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Health Care Professionals
Find translated videos and factsheets in: American Sign Language | العربية (Arabic) | မြန်မာစာ (Burmese) | Chinese Traditional | Chinese Simplified | دری (Dari) | Français (French) | Kirundi | Maay Maay | Mandarin Chinese | नेपाली (Nepali) |پښتو (Pashto) | Soomaali (Somali) | Español (Spanish) | Swahili | Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese) 
Vermonters ages 6 months and older are eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the safer way to build protection from serious illness–even for those who have already had COVID-19. Learn more about COVID-19 vaccines (CDC)
COVID-19 vaccines are free and widely available. Anyone can get vaccinated in Vermont, including those who live in another state, are non-U.S. citizens, or who have no insurance. See Vermont’s current vaccine rates
You can get free COVID-19 vaccines at:

report self-test results
At-home antigen tests (also called rapid tests or self-tests) meet many testing needs and are widely available at pharmacies around the state and at online retailers.
If you cannot get at-home antigen tests from the options above, you can call the Health Department at 802-863-7200, or check with your local health office.
Non-profit community organizations may qualify for free at-home tests by mail if they work with Vermonters who may have difficulty getting tests due to overall systemic inequities. This includes Vermonters who are Black, Indigenous or people of color (BIPOC), speak languages other than English, are experiencing homelessness, have a disability or other groups. Please email [email protected].
Food shelves, libraries, and municipal offices who are interested in distributing COVID-19 at-home tests in their community can also email [email protected].
If you are homebound, you can get a PCR test in your home. Homebound means you are not able to leave your home for scheduled medical care or non-medical appointments. Call 802-863-7200 (toll-free 800-464-4343), Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Translated videos on where to get tests from the Vermont Language Justice Project: ASL | العربية (Arabic) | မြန်မာစာ (Burmese) | دری (Dari) | English | Français (French) | Kirundi | Maay Maay | Mandarin | नेपाली (Nepali) | پښتو (Pashto) | Soomaai (Somali) | Español (Spanish) | Kiswahili (Swahili) | Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
Many test expiration dates have been extended. Check information below for new dates by brand:
FDA information on tests.
Check Intrivo on/go tests.
Check iHealth tests.
Check FlowFlex tests.
If you test positive and you are age 65 or older or have a medical condition that may put you at risk, reach out to your health care provider to ask about treatment — as soon as you get a positive test result. Learn more about treatment.
Find tips and learn more from the CDC about self-testing
At-home antigen test 
PCR test 
Test instructions and translations
If there is no option to automatically report your self-test result, please report results (positive or negative) to the Health Department using our online form. Your response is confidential, and reporting your test result helps the Health Department understand how many Vermonters are being tested for COVID-19 and how the virus is spreading in our communities.
Report your COVID-19 test results

 

 
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