This commentary is from Marvin Klikunas, M.D., whose medical practice is in Williston.
As I write this commentary, the seven-day rolling average of daily Covid cases in Vermont is 209. Even during the depths of last winter, before a vaccine was available, the daily average as plotted in VTDigger never reached 200.
Forty-eight people were hospitalized with Covid yesterday and today, exactly the kind of number not seen since last winter, when the governor thought a state of emergency was necessary. Deaths have increased dramatically in August and September. New records for the entire pandemic have just been set for the number of cases identified in schoolchildren.
As of today, 18 states and the District of Columbia have better current Covid case rates than Vermont, so we are certainly no longer one of the best performing states.