Waterbury’s COVID-19 cases remain on par with Barre-Montpelier
Statewide deaths surpass 600 this week
March 5, 2022 | By Lisa ScagliottiReports of new cases of COVID-19 in Waterbury this week have dropped to one-fifth what they were at the end of January, according to data released Friday by the Vermont Department of Health.
The state recorded 24 new cases for Waterbury for the seven days ending Wednesday, March 2, down just slightly from the previous week which had 28 new cases. That brings Waterbury’s total for the pandemic to 1,561 cases, according to the state tally.
Waterbury’s new cases still exceed those in other nearby communities. Stowe, for example, had two new cases reported in the past week; Barre City had 21, and Montpelier 18, according to the state data breakdown by town.
Locally, a total of 34 cases were reported in the communities of the Harwood Unified Union School District. Aside from Waterbury, the other 10 cases were divided among Moretown, Warren (three each), and Waitsfield with four.
Across the state, reported cases have now dropped to a seven-day average of 154, according to the state COVID-19 dashboard. On Friday, the Health Department reported 194 new cases with 32 people in the hospital, 6 of whom in intensive care.
Friday's Department of Health COVID-19 data highlights (left) and the graph (right) showing the distribution of deaths of Vermonters with COVID-19 by age. Source: Vermont Health Department
Despite the slowdown in infections, however, Vermont continues to log new COVID-related deaths every few days. This week the state surpassed 600 deaths for the pandemic. With Friday’s report, the total stands at 607 with 127 of those recorded just in 2022 so far.
According to Health Department data, just over half - 310 - deaths have been people over age 80. Another 37% were ages 60-79; individuals in their 50s accounted for another 7%. Just 23 deaths have been reported among those in their 30s and 40s, and only one Vermonter in their 20s has died. No deaths under age 20 have been recorded in the state data.
State to further relax mitigations soon
This week, local schools reopened on Wednesday after the winter break. Although the state gave school districts the go-ahead to make mask-wearing indoors optional where the student population is over 80% vaccinated, administrators in the Harwood district said before February vacation that the district will wait until after a full week of school proceeds in order to evaluate COVID cases with an eye toward changing protocols.
Currently all local schools regardless of their vaccination proportion are still requiring students and staff to wear masks indoors only.
Gov. Phil Scott and administration officials held their weekly COVID-19 press briefing on Thursday this week where they highlighted dropping hospitalization rates, lower case counts, and an easing in strain on hospital operations around the state.
They noted that by mid-March, state guidance will essentially suggest that Vermonters decide individually what level of precaution they want to take regarding COVID-19.
“On March 14, our guidance around masking will be updated for all Vermonters to reflect a lower risk of severe disease in our communities,” said State Epidemiologist Patsy Kelso, who provided the Health Department update as Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine was away.
Kelso noted that the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention last week updated its community data taking into consideration hospital admissions and capacity along with case counts.
“This makes sense as case counts are no longer an accurate measure of transmission with the widespread use of at-home tests,” Kelso said. “Cases alone no longer have the same impact they once did as the majority of Vermonters are well-protected from severe illness through vaccination, and more treatment options are available for those at higher risk.”
The CDC is still recommending that people wear masks in indoor public settings in areas with high transmission, indicated with red on its national map broken down by counties.
Gov. Scott acknowledged that approach, but said Vermont will not focus on differences by county. “We are going to look at this from the entire state instead of by county,” he said, noting that many Vermonters spend time in different counties based on where they live, work or go to school. “We’re moving around a lot in Vermont,” he said.
The distinction may soon be moot as well. On Friday, only two Vermont counties -- Bennington and Rutland -- were labeled as high transmission by the CDC. Four counties were in the low category: Caledonia, Lamoille, Franklin and Grand Isle, with all others considered medium.
“The trend is all of the counties in Vermont are going in the right direction,” the governor said on Thursday. “We’re in good shape right now so we should enjoy life again.”
Kelso said state public health officials will continue to monitor new cases and outbreaks, and conduct sequencing for variants to watch for changes in the trajectory of the virus which “does continue to surprise us and we need to be prepared to adjust if necessary.”
School advice to mirror general guidance soon
State Education Secretary Dan French said he anticipates schools no longer having mitigation measures in place that are different from the general public starting March 14. That means dropping the benchmark of having 80% of students in a school vaccinated before removing mask requirements, French said.
“Masks will be optional for all students and staff regardless of vaccination status and this will apply to school buses,” he said, adding the qualifier: “School districts will still have the option to follow state recommendations or to adopt their own.”
Looking ahead, French said testing would remain available for staff and students but that “will be phased out over time.”
When asked about children under age 5 who cannot be vaccinated yet, Kelso said pediatric health care providers are not greatly concerned about young children becoming seriously ill with the virus.
State officials in their remarks emphasized that Vermonters going forward will need to decide for themselves whether they should wear masks around others. When asked by reporters whether individuals should weigh risk to others in addition to oneself, Scott said masks are still an option.
“They should wear masks if they want to protect themselves and others and there should be no stigma around that,” Scott said. “It works both ways.”