By Eric Blaisdell
TIMES ARGUS
MONTPELIER, Vt. — State officials say virus activity is back to pre-omicron levels, but there is still a large number of residents who have not received a booster dose of vaccine.
At Gov. Phil Scott’s regular news conference Tuesday, Michael S. Pieciak, commissioner of the Department of Financial Regulation who has been analyzing the pandemic data, said coronavirus trends in Vermont have continued to improve. Pieciak said the state is now averaging fewer than 400 cases per day, a rate not seen since the middle of December.
“So that really puts us back to the pre-omicron level in terms of the case counts that we’re seeing,” he said.
He said cases are down 41 percent this week and down 79 percent from the peak of cases seen in the middle of January. He noted testing was down 30 percent this week and 54 percent since the peak, but that shows the case decreases are outpacing the reduction in testing and less virus activity means less demand for testing.
Pieciak said college campuses and long-term care facilities are seeing fewer outbreaks and their cases are going down, as well.
He said modeling shows cases are expected to decrease through the rest of the month to about 200 cases per day.
For hospitalizations, he said the numbers for those hospitalized with the virus or who had to be in the intensive-care unit both improved this week. He said the hospitalization rate decreased 13 percent and ICU rate went down about 17 percent.
Pieciak said this has relieved some of the pressure on hospitals and ICU bed capacity.
The state is still seeing more than a death per day from the virus, with 13 deaths reported this month as of Feb. 8. January was the second deadliest month of the pandemic with 65 deaths which followed 62 deaths in December 2021.
There have been 558 deaths from the virus in Vermont since the start of the pandemic.
The commissioner said modeling shows deaths should decrease through the end of February.
Pieciak said three studies recently came out showing the effectiveness of the booster dose of vaccine. He said the studies reported a booster dose was 90 percent effective against hospitalizations from the omicron variant and 82 percent effective against urgent care visits.
He said the studies reported case rates among the unvaccinated were five times higher than those who were boosted and having a booster dose reduces symptomatic infection by 67 percent when compared to the unvaccinated.
Pieciak said there are about 150,000 Vermonters who are eligible but have not received a booster dose of vaccine.
Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine said while the current trends are hopeful, the omicron variant is still here. Levine said vaccination is the most powerful tool available against the pandemic and while the omicron surge looks to be winding down, getting vaccinated is still the best protection against what the pandemic could produce next.
He said a year ago many weren’t eligible to get the vaccine. Levine said now we know the immunity the vaccines provide decreases over time.
“For this tool to really work, for you to be as protected as possible, being vaccinated means being up to date with your booster shot,” the health commissioner said.
Levine said boosters are important for those who are older or at higher risk, but they also have an impact across all ages and health status. He said they can reduce the chance of spreading the virus to those at higher risk.
He said the state leads the nation at 64 percent of eligible residents having received a booster dose which has helped keep Vermonters protected and out of the hospital.
“In Vermont, so many people have stepped up so quickly to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their community. Let’s see if we can recapture that enthusiasm for getting the next level of protection from a booster shot,” he said.
Levine said he didn’t believe skepticism of the vaccines available was the driver for the high number of those who haven’t received a booster dose. He said it’s more likely due to issues related to time to get the shot, not prioritizing the shot or the vaccine appointment being an inconvenience.
“Well, we still have vaccine clinics available around the state, most with walk-in availability,” Levine said.
He said the state continues to work with businesses and event planners to make getting a booster dose easy and convenient. And he said about 64 percent of primary health care providers in the state are now administering coronavirus vaccines.
eric.blaisdell @timesargus.com
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