MONTPELIER — Officials say the latest variant of the coronavirus will keep the virus in the community for a while.
According to data presented by the state, Vermont has seen its seven-day average for cases decrease 16% during the past seven days and 27% over the last 14 days. The state has averaged 119 cases per day over the last seven days with 82 new cases reported Tuesday.
There have been four deaths from the virus in Vermont this month as of March 15, bringing the total number of deaths to 608.
At his regular news conference Tuesday, Gov. Phil Scott said he was on a call earlier with other governors and the White House about the pandemic response. Scott said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the CDC, reported hospitalizations from the virus continue to decrease nationally. The governor said that’s true for Vermont, as well, with only a dozen people hospitalized with the virus Tuesday and some of them discovering they had the virus after they were admitted for a different health issue. Four of those hospitalized are in the intensive-care unit.
Scott said some places in Europe are now seeing an uptick in virus activity.
“That’s not unexpected,” Scott said. “We’ll see numbers go up and down for quite some time.”
The governor said Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke about the BA.2 variant of the virus. Scott said this variant, which was first detected in Vermont in late January, seems to be a bit more transmissible than the omicron variant. Scott said Fauci reported the variant does not appear to be more severe nor does it appear to evade the vaccines better than omicron does.
He said the country may see an uptick from this variant in a few weeks since the United States typically lags a bit behind those in Europe. Scott said while European case numbers are up, Fauci reported the number of those admitted to the ICU is flat.
Health officials have said the thinking now is the BA.2 variant won’t cause a large spike in cases in the U.S., as seen with other more-transmissible variants, but it will instead cause the endemic phase to drag on longer than expected.
The governor said federal officials reported they would be reducing the amount of monoclonal antibodies sent to states by 30% starting next week. Scott said this is because Congress did not authorize additional funding, but Vermont has a good supply of that treatment for the time being.
Scott noted Sunday marked the two-year anniversary since he announced a state of emergency in response to the pandemic.
“Since that day, we’ve watched as Vermonters have stepped up and gone above and beyond. And as a result, we’ve led the way throughout these past two years,” Scott said.
The governor said the state is now positioned well to move into the next phase of the response to the virus. Scott said the virus will not fully go away so residents will need to learn to live with it.
“But even as Vermont continues to lead the nation, it’s still important to pause and reflect on the toll it’s taken,” the governor said. “Saturday, March 19, will mark the two-year anniversary of our first confirmed COVID death in Vermont. I’ll be ordering the U.S. and Vermont flags to half staff to honor the memories of those we’ve lost.”
Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said there’s been some changes made to public health guidance in relation to the virus. Levine said the virus is still here and will be around for a while so adhering to this guidance is important to protecting yourself and others.
He said those who test positive are to isolate for five days. A close contact of someone who tested positive does not need to quarantine, but Levine said they should get tested if they aren’t vaccinated or boosted. He said anyone who develops symptoms of the virus should get tested.
“Consider your own circumstances and risk in deciding if you want to take additional precautions, including about wearing a mask around others while indoors,” the commissioner said.
Levine said vaccines remain the most valuable tool available for preventing the worst outcomes from the virus, such as severe illness and death.
eric.blaisdell @timesargus.com
