The Vermont Health Department on Friday reported the largest one-day increase in the number of coronavirus cases since the pandemic began more than a year ago.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said half the 251 new cases reported Friday were in people under age 30 and only four in people 65 or over.
Despite the increase in cases in Vermont, the number of people being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19 is continuing to decline, a testament to the vaccination program that has focused first on older adults, officials said.
Levine cited a variety of factors for the increase in cases, including people moving around more with the arrival of warmer weather, virus fatigue and the continued spread of some of the more transmissible forms of the virus in Vermont.
He said that some countries in Europe are locking down again and that the world is still not safe from the virus.
“The reality is we should always continue to be humbled by the virus,” Levine said during the state’s twice-weekly virus briefing.
Despite the increases, Vermont is continuing its gradual reopening. Gov. Phil Scott said state officials plan to outline in the next 10 days how the virus-imposed restrictions will continue to be loosened.
He stood by his belief that Vermont should be able to return to normal by July 4, once all adults in the state are fully vaccinated, which should be completed sometime in June. But he said all those decisions will be reevaluated by the conditions playing out in the state every day.
“At this point in time we don’t see that there’s a need to change course,” Scott said.
In other pandemic-related news:
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VACCINATIONS
Vermont expanded vaccine eligibility Thursday to people ages 60-64. By Friday morning, about 26,700 people in the age group - about 55% of the group - had registered to be vaccinated, said Mike Smith, the secretary of the Agency of Human Services.
He said that Vermont ranks first in the nation in the vaccination of those 65 and older.
On Monday, the eligibility age will expand to people 50 and over. By April 19, all Vermonters ages 18 and older will be eligible to make appointments to be vaccinated.
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NUMBERS
The Vermont Department of Health on Friday reported 251 new cases of the virus that causes COVID-19, bringing the statewide total since the pandemic began to almost 18,500.
There were 26 people hospitalized, including four in intensive care.
The state reported one additional death, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 224.
The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 116.29 on March 10 to 138.29 on March 24.
The seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Vermont has risen over the past two weeks from 0.57 on March 10 to 0.86 on March 24.
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