Vt. still a leader in COVID response; caution urged
A view of the Ottauquechee River near the Woodstock-Pomfret town line. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
Vermont continues to be a leader in a number of COVID-19 metrics, even as major challenges abound throughout the region and the country.
On Tuesday at a press conference, state officials said Vermont had the lowest seven-day infection rate in the country, and still had a low test positivity rate. There were no COVID-related deaths in Vermont in September, nor anyone in the ICU with the virus that entire month in the whole state — a fact that Mike Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation, called "pretty remarkable.” He also noted that cases among young Vermonters from age 0 to 19 were down by 41 percent going into September, which was a good sign for the start of school.
The most difficult data point was the number of cases, which was higher this week, mainly due to an outbreak in Addison County among guest workers at Champlain Orchards in Shoreham. A total of 27 of the workers tested positive for COVID-19. On Tuesday, Health Commissioner Mark Levine said the outbreak had been contained to the site, contact tracing was complete, and quarantine measures were in place. There is no known threat to the public from the situation, Levine said, noting that none of Vermont’s four new cases on Tuesday were in Addison County. The same was true for Wednesday's six new cases.
He also cautioned people to stick to the facts, saying that transmission of the virus works the same for any group.
"It's vital that Vermonters know the facts about COVID, learned from trusted sources who will tell you the truth even as we learn more about the virus," Levine said at the press briefing. "Do not be distracted or swayed by so much chaos and political theater at the top. COVID-19 spreads because it is a highly contagious virus that is in the air we all breathe."
Levine also urged the importance of mask-wearing, social distancing and avoiding large crowds. That reminder came as cases rose over the past week in New York, Massachusetts and Quebec.
"Generally, the number of individuals allowed to come in (to Vermont) without a quarantine has gone down to 2.9 million, which is the lowest number since we released the travel map," Pieciak said Tuesday. He was referring to an online map showing the counties from which people can come to Vermont without observing quarantine rules.
Clearly, the Addison County outbreak and rising cases elsewhere in the country show the need for continued vigilance and caution. That said, maybe that vigilance is not only needed around our own actions around public health, but also around how we treat others. We’ve all felt the rising tide of tension around the pandemic, coupled with economic turmoil and growing political rancor. While we deal with these challenges, we can still take a moment to regard our neighbors kindly, and be good to others. Using Levine’s wording, we don’t have to be “distracted or swayed” from those opportunities to lift others up. They might be the best opportunities we have to make any given day a better one.
— Gareth Henderson
