MONTPELIER — While deaths from the coronavirus are still high in Vermont, state officials say other pandemic metrics are decreasing and encouraging.
At Gov. Phil Scott’s regular news conference Tuesday, Michael S. Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation who has analyzed the pandemic data, said nationally, cases are down 36% this week and hospitalizations are down 10.5%. Deaths, however, are up 9% across the United States, Pieciak said.
Regionally, he said New England has seen a 44% decrease in cases and hospitalizations have decreased 20%. In Vermont, he said cases are down about 40%, with the state reporting 3,357 fewer cases than the week before.
“We’re averaging just over 600 cases a day at this point, so still obviously elevated relative to pre-omicron, but down considerably from the 1,800-or-so a day we were averaging just three or four weeks ago,” Pieciak said.
He said testing has decreased about 21%. That’s part of the reason the case numbers are lower, but the commissioner said that’s partly due to less demand for testing with less virus activity in the state. He said the state is still averaging over 800 tests per day and the positivity rate is coming down.
Pieciak said modeling shows cases should continue to decrease through February.
There have been 62 deaths from the virus reported so far in January as of Feb. 1. That’s tied with December 2021 as the second deadliest month of the pandemic, behind 71 deaths reported in December 2020. There have been 542 deaths from the virus in Vermont since the pandemic began.
Pieciak said the data shows those not fully vaccinated and boosted were 10 times more likely to die from the virus than those who are boosted.
The commissioner said modeling shows deaths should decrease over the course of this month.
For schools, Education Secretary Dan French said some schools have hit vaccination goals set by the state and have been awarded grants.
French said Crossett Brook Middle School in Duxbury has a student vaccination rate of 87%. He said that school will receive $3,855.
The secretary said Harwood Union High School’s rate also is 87%. That school, in Moretown, will get $7,725.
He said Green Mountain Valley School, in Waitsfield, has a 100% student vaccination rate and will receive $3,000.
Grant amounts are related to enrollment numbers and students will help decide how the funds are spent.
French said he expects more schools to reach the state’s 80% vaccinated goal for students in the coming weeks.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows booster shots are effective against omicron. Levine said the study showed case rates and mortality rates were lower among those who were boosted compared to those who were vaccinated but not boosted. He said the boosted were expected to die from the virus at a rate of one per million people, vaccinated without a booster at a rate of six per million and the unvaccinated at a rate of 78 per million.
“The data continues to speak for itself,” Levine said. “A booster gives you much greater protection against the worst effects of COVID-19: severe illness, hospitalizations and death.”
He said the Food and Drug Administration recently fully approved the Moderna vaccine for use for those 18 years old and older. This vaccine joins Pfizer’s as the vaccines fully approved for use, removing them from emergency-use authorization.
Levine said a subvariant of omicron, called BA.2, has been discovered in a specimen in Vermont. He said this variant isn’t new, and it appears to be a more-transmissible version of omicron. He said the variant needs to be studied, but so far scientists have not found any other traits that are cause for concern.
eric.blaisdell @timesargus.com
