Post by Nadica (She/Her) on Aug 14, 2024 23:40:49 GMT
VDH: COVID cases elevated, 2 deaths - Published Aug 13, 2024
by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine For the week ending August 3, the Vermont Department of Health reported that the number of COVID-19 cases in Vermont remains much higher than in the spring, but related deaths have been low. COVID fatalities are at 1,161 since the beginning of the pandemic over four years ago. The weekly report also shows that hospitalizations and general "syndromic" cases remain low but have increased somewhat in the last few weeks to about 10 people being treated at a Vermont hospital each week.
The number of COVID cases is elevated and there were 236 cases reported last week. Cases had been falling in April and May and were as low as 31 at the beginning of May.
Along with the case numbers, wastewater monitoring has shown spikes in virus in Burlington and Montpelier.
The pandemic death total stands at 1,161 as of August 3, 2024 (the most recent data available). Total reported deaths in January were 29, which is the highest monthly total since November 2022. There were 16 fatalities in February, 12 in March, 3 in April, 6 in May, 2 in June, 3 so far in July and 1 in August. June deaths were the fewest from COVID since July 2021.
Of the total deaths to date, 936 have been of Vermonters 70 or older. There have been 4 deaths of Vermonters under 30 since the beginning of the pandemic.
John Davy, Ph.D, Epidemiologist/COVID-19 Coordinator for the VDH, told VermontBiz that, "As of July 20th, wastewater and emergency department admissions suggest a current level of COVID-19 activity that is similar to what we saw in March of 2024. This level is lower than we saw in December 2023 through February 2024, but we have seen a slow upward trend in the last several weeks.
"The current level of activity does not indicate that most Vermonters need to change their behavior in day-to-day settings, he said. Vermonters are still encouraged to stay up to date on all vaccinations, such as getting the most recent COVID-19 booster; practice good hand washing and cover any coughs or sneezes; and to stay home when sick. Vermonters should consider wearing a mask around others if they are at high risk of serious illness, if they have recently been around someone with symptoms of respiratory sickness (such as a cough or fever), or if they have recently been sick with a respiratory virus. Those who do have symptoms should consider taking a COVID-19 test. This is particularly helpful for those at risk of serious illness, as test results may inform treatment. Information about accessing tests and other resources are available on our website, healthvermont.gov.
"In the past week, the Health Department has received over ten reports of outbreaks in long-term care facilities, significantly more than we have received in recent months. These facilities have been in contact with the Health Department and provided with guidance for heightened infection control practices. Nursing and certain other health care facilities still have more stringent COVID-protection and reporting guidelines, regardless of whether they are experiencing an outbreak.
"If you are visiting a loved one in a nursing home or other health care facility, consider delaying your visit if you have respiratory symptoms or have recently been around someone who had COVID-19 or another virus. Please consider masking and keeping your distance from others during your visit. When possible, delay your visit if you are sick. Consider wearing a mask if you will be attending a health care visit, and please wear one if you are experiencing symptoms or have recently been sick with COVID or another respiratory illness.
Evidence suggests, Davy said, that COVID-19 is continuing to lead to less severe illness in the population. COVID-19 can still lead to severe outcomes, however, particularly for individuals in specific risk groups, such as immunocompromised individuals, people age 65 and older, individuals with heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, or those with certain other medical conditions. We encourage Vermonters to continue to try to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in their communities.
Report Timeframe: May 5 to May 11, 2024
Reported cases 236 (234 previous week).
Total deaths: 1,161 (up 2 from previous week).
Hospital visits, about 10 (unchanged).
(see data tables below)
The hospitalizations dataset contains day-level data reported from all Vermont hospitals each Tuesday. Reported numbers are subject to correction.
The number of reportable COVID-19 cases is still available in this report, below. Laboratory-confirmed and diagnosed COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 outbreaks must still be reported to the Vermont Department of Health.
There were 8 outbreaks last week; with 5 at Long-Term Care Facilities.
Vermont has the second lowest state fatality rate in the US (134.7 per 100K; Hawaii 108.5/100K). Mississippi (452.1/100K) and Oklahoma (448.1/100K) have the highest rates. The US average is 299.6/100K (CDC data).
There has been a total of 1,196,526 COVID-related deaths to date in the US (CDC) and 7,056,108 globally (WHO).
The VDH reported on May 22 that a second juvenile in the "Under 10" age range has died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began here in March 2020. It has been a year and a half since a Vermonter under the age of 30 has died from COVID. The VDH changed its reporting methods in 2022.
The VDH sent this report on the most recent under 30 deaths:
Recent pediatric death: Child <10 years of age, January 2024 in Caledonia County. It was formally reported in May once the data and death certificate were confirmed.
The previous pediatric death: Child <10 years of age, August 2022 in Rutland County.
The previous death of a person ages 20-29 was January 2023, in Orange County.
CDC states that already an estimated 97% of Americans have some level of immunity, from either vaccination or infection or both, which they said will help keep down new transmission and lessen serious outcomes.
More recently, on March 7, 2024, a study by a nationwide collaborative group including University of Vermont Larner scientists, published in Nature Communications, explored how the human body responded to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines—such as PfizerBioNTech Moderna. Both vaccines work by helping the body produce antibodies against the COVID-19 virus’s spike protein, but the study team found that the efficacy of the vaccines varied among subjects.
Researchers found that individuals over the age of 65, men, those with higher weight, smokers, diabetics, and those with a history of emphysema tended to have lower antibody levels. To contrast, subjects who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 previously—particularly those with COVID-19 severe enough to lead to hospitalization—had significantly higher levels of anti-S1 than other groups in the study. Surprisingly, those who had taken the Moderna vaccine also reported a significantly higher level of anti-S1 than the PfizerBioNTech recipients.
Following an analysis of COVID-19 data, the VDH reported in January 2023 a cumulative 86 additional COVID-associated deaths that occurred over the course of the pandemic but had not been previously reported. Most of those deaths occurred in 2022.
As of April 30, 2024, hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 Hospital data. CDC strongly encourages hospitals to continue reporting these data, but following the May 1st COVID-19 Surveillance Report, the Vermont Department of Health will no longer be providing updated Hospitalization Levels with their weekly report.
The average hospitalization has fallen under one per day, while the Seven-Day Rolling Average of people coming to emergency departments of the state's hospitals with a COVID diagnosis is under 5.
Starting May 8th, the COVID-19 Surveillance Report includes additional information on the impact of COVID-19 in Vermont.
Vermont Department of Health recommendations: Preventing COVID-19 (healthvermont.gov)
The Delta variant took off in August 2021, which resulted in the heaviest number of deaths before vaccines and their boosters helped alleviate serious COVID cases. Multiple Omicron variants are now circulating and appear more virulent than previous variants, but perhaps not more dangerous, according to the CDC.
by Timothy McQuiston, Vermont Business Magazine For the week ending August 3, the Vermont Department of Health reported that the number of COVID-19 cases in Vermont remains much higher than in the spring, but related deaths have been low. COVID fatalities are at 1,161 since the beginning of the pandemic over four years ago. The weekly report also shows that hospitalizations and general "syndromic" cases remain low but have increased somewhat in the last few weeks to about 10 people being treated at a Vermont hospital each week.
The number of COVID cases is elevated and there were 236 cases reported last week. Cases had been falling in April and May and were as low as 31 at the beginning of May.
Along with the case numbers, wastewater monitoring has shown spikes in virus in Burlington and Montpelier.
The pandemic death total stands at 1,161 as of August 3, 2024 (the most recent data available). Total reported deaths in January were 29, which is the highest monthly total since November 2022. There were 16 fatalities in February, 12 in March, 3 in April, 6 in May, 2 in June, 3 so far in July and 1 in August. June deaths were the fewest from COVID since July 2021.
Of the total deaths to date, 936 have been of Vermonters 70 or older. There have been 4 deaths of Vermonters under 30 since the beginning of the pandemic.
John Davy, Ph.D, Epidemiologist/COVID-19 Coordinator for the VDH, told VermontBiz that, "As of July 20th, wastewater and emergency department admissions suggest a current level of COVID-19 activity that is similar to what we saw in March of 2024. This level is lower than we saw in December 2023 through February 2024, but we have seen a slow upward trend in the last several weeks.
"The current level of activity does not indicate that most Vermonters need to change their behavior in day-to-day settings, he said. Vermonters are still encouraged to stay up to date on all vaccinations, such as getting the most recent COVID-19 booster; practice good hand washing and cover any coughs or sneezes; and to stay home when sick. Vermonters should consider wearing a mask around others if they are at high risk of serious illness, if they have recently been around someone with symptoms of respiratory sickness (such as a cough or fever), or if they have recently been sick with a respiratory virus. Those who do have symptoms should consider taking a COVID-19 test. This is particularly helpful for those at risk of serious illness, as test results may inform treatment. Information about accessing tests and other resources are available on our website, healthvermont.gov.
"In the past week, the Health Department has received over ten reports of outbreaks in long-term care facilities, significantly more than we have received in recent months. These facilities have been in contact with the Health Department and provided with guidance for heightened infection control practices. Nursing and certain other health care facilities still have more stringent COVID-protection and reporting guidelines, regardless of whether they are experiencing an outbreak.
"If you are visiting a loved one in a nursing home or other health care facility, consider delaying your visit if you have respiratory symptoms or have recently been around someone who had COVID-19 or another virus. Please consider masking and keeping your distance from others during your visit. When possible, delay your visit if you are sick. Consider wearing a mask if you will be attending a health care visit, and please wear one if you are experiencing symptoms or have recently been sick with COVID or another respiratory illness.
Evidence suggests, Davy said, that COVID-19 is continuing to lead to less severe illness in the population. COVID-19 can still lead to severe outcomes, however, particularly for individuals in specific risk groups, such as immunocompromised individuals, people age 65 and older, individuals with heart disease, lung disease, or diabetes, or those with certain other medical conditions. We encourage Vermonters to continue to try to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in their communities.
Report Timeframe: May 5 to May 11, 2024
Reported cases 236 (234 previous week).
Total deaths: 1,161 (up 2 from previous week).
Hospital visits, about 10 (unchanged).
(see data tables below)
The hospitalizations dataset contains day-level data reported from all Vermont hospitals each Tuesday. Reported numbers are subject to correction.
The number of reportable COVID-19 cases is still available in this report, below. Laboratory-confirmed and diagnosed COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 outbreaks must still be reported to the Vermont Department of Health.
There were 8 outbreaks last week; with 5 at Long-Term Care Facilities.
Vermont has the second lowest state fatality rate in the US (134.7 per 100K; Hawaii 108.5/100K). Mississippi (452.1/100K) and Oklahoma (448.1/100K) have the highest rates. The US average is 299.6/100K (CDC data).
There has been a total of 1,196,526 COVID-related deaths to date in the US (CDC) and 7,056,108 globally (WHO).
The VDH reported on May 22 that a second juvenile in the "Under 10" age range has died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began here in March 2020. It has been a year and a half since a Vermonter under the age of 30 has died from COVID. The VDH changed its reporting methods in 2022.
The VDH sent this report on the most recent under 30 deaths:
Recent pediatric death: Child <10 years of age, January 2024 in Caledonia County. It was formally reported in May once the data and death certificate were confirmed.
The previous pediatric death: Child <10 years of age, August 2022 in Rutland County.
The previous death of a person ages 20-29 was January 2023, in Orange County.
CDC states that already an estimated 97% of Americans have some level of immunity, from either vaccination or infection or both, which they said will help keep down new transmission and lessen serious outcomes.
More recently, on March 7, 2024, a study by a nationwide collaborative group including University of Vermont Larner scientists, published in Nature Communications, explored how the human body responded to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines—such as PfizerBioNTech Moderna. Both vaccines work by helping the body produce antibodies against the COVID-19 virus’s spike protein, but the study team found that the efficacy of the vaccines varied among subjects.
Researchers found that individuals over the age of 65, men, those with higher weight, smokers, diabetics, and those with a history of emphysema tended to have lower antibody levels. To contrast, subjects who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 previously—particularly those with COVID-19 severe enough to lead to hospitalization—had significantly higher levels of anti-S1 than other groups in the study. Surprisingly, those who had taken the Moderna vaccine also reported a significantly higher level of anti-S1 than the PfizerBioNTech recipients.
Following an analysis of COVID-19 data, the VDH reported in January 2023 a cumulative 86 additional COVID-associated deaths that occurred over the course of the pandemic but had not been previously reported. Most of those deaths occurred in 2022.
As of April 30, 2024, hospitals are no longer required to report COVID-19 Hospital data. CDC strongly encourages hospitals to continue reporting these data, but following the May 1st COVID-19 Surveillance Report, the Vermont Department of Health will no longer be providing updated Hospitalization Levels with their weekly report.
The average hospitalization has fallen under one per day, while the Seven-Day Rolling Average of people coming to emergency departments of the state's hospitals with a COVID diagnosis is under 5.
Starting May 8th, the COVID-19 Surveillance Report includes additional information on the impact of COVID-19 in Vermont.
Vermont Department of Health recommendations: Preventing COVID-19 (healthvermont.gov)
The Delta variant took off in August 2021, which resulted in the heaviest number of deaths before vaccines and their boosters helped alleviate serious COVID cases. Multiple Omicron variants are now circulating and appear more virulent than previous variants, but perhaps not more dangerous, according to the CDC.