WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Vermont Department of Health officials announced two new cases of coronavirus affecting Vermonters on Saturday, including a Windsor County man who is hospitalized at the White River Junction VA Medical Center, and a third case involving a New York man who was tested at Springfield (Vt.) Hospital.
The total number of COVID-19 cases affecting Vermont residents increased to four, including a new case in Washington County and earlier cases from Bennington and Chittenden counties.
The hospitalized veteran is a Windsor County man in his 90s, according to the VA.
“The Veteran is being cared for in respiratory isolation by staff who are specially trained on the Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) treatment guidelines, including the use of personal protective equipment and infection control techniques,” the White River Junction VA said in a Saturday news release.
The VA is now screening everyone who enters the campus by asking questions related to symptoms, travel history and contact with anyone known to have the disease, which was first identified in Wuhan, China, late last year.
“This may lengthen entry times, so patients are advised to allow for that when arriving for their appointments,” the VA said in its release.
The other new case with Windsor County ties is a man in his 50s from Westchester County, New York, who was tested at Springfield (Vt.) Hospital and is now in self-isolation.
“We have been in contact with the hospitals and know these patients are receiving the best care possible,” Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine said in Saturday’s news release.
The Health Department’s contact tracing team is investigating the patients’ travel history and related community activities, and seeking to identify anyone who may have been in close contact with the patients. They will be assessed for their risk of exposure to the respiratory disease. Health officials will give guidance to contacts of the presumptive positive cases for their health and recommendations for self-isolation or other restrictions, the release said.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health on Saturday afternoon announced similar measures to those announced at the VA, including plans to ask screening questions about symptoms of respiratory illness and travel history for anyone entering any of its facilities, including Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center; Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital in Lebanon; New London Hospital; Cheshire Medical Center in Keene, N.H.; Mt. Ascutney Hospital and Health Center in Windsor; and D-H’s Community Group Practice in Southern New Hampshire.
At DHMC, patient visitors “will also be limited to one visitor per patient at a time, and all visitors must be above the age of 14,” according to a D-HH news release. “Exceptions will be made for people visiting pediatrics, neonatal ICU, obstetrics, or psychiatric care, and for those visiting patients receiving end-of-life care.”
Patients at the medical center who present symptoms “will be given a mask and will be risk assessed for further testing.”
Visitors who have symptoms or who have traveled recently “will be asked to return home and contact their primary care provider (PCP) for additional assessment.”
Cottage Hospital in Woodsville announced it was “temporarily restricting visitation” due to COVID-19.
Vermont State Police also announced changes to its operations on Saturday afternoon because of the virus, including limiting troopers’ responses to low-level incidents, such as “minor motor vehicle crashes, vandalisms and thefts,” in which cases “state police may take reports from the public over the phone.”
“State police members are making these response decisions in consultation with supervisors,” VSP said in a news release. “The Vermont State Police encourages people who are victims of these types of crimes to report them over the phone rather than by walking in at a barracks.”
Barracks will continue to be staffed and “troopers will physically respond to major case investigations such as homicide, and to calls regarding crimes in progress, motor vehicle crashes with injuries, missing persons cases and domestic assault, as a few examples.”
“These modifications are undertaken out of an abundance of caution to ensure we are taking appropriate steps to reduce unnecessary risks of exposure to COVID-19 for members of the Vermont State Police and for Vermont residents,” Commissioner of Public Safety Michael Schirling said in a news release. “But I want to be clear: The Vermont State Police is still in full and active operation.”
As of Saturday afternoon, 227 Vermonters have tested negative for COVID-19, and state health officials are monitoring 191 people for symptoms of the disease, which include fever, cough and shortness of breath.
New Hampshire health officials have identified seven cases in the state, including three in Grafton County and four in Rockingham County.
The seventh case, which officials announced on Friday, is woman from Rockingham County who notified her health care provider after developing symptoms. She was at the Manchester branch of the New Hampshire Division of Motor Vehicles, at 377 S. Willow St. in Manchester on March 2-5 and 10. Anyone who was in the Manchester DMV on those days and has developed symptoms should stay home, limit their contact with others and immediately contact a health care provider, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services. Those who are not experiencing symptoms should self-observe for symptoms and report any by calling a health care provider.
As of Saturday morning, 250 Granite Staters had tested negative for COVID-19, and state health officials were monitoring 425 people. There were 31 tests pending at the public health laboratory.
Governors of both states announced states of emergency on Friday, aiming to make more resources available to address the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We expected that Vermont would see more cases, and that there likely will be more,” Levine said in the release. “As Governor Scott said (on Friday), the full focus of the state is on minimizing spread of COVID-19 in our communities. We all have a critical role to play in flattening the potential curve of infections, and I ask every Vermonter to visit healthvermont.gov for up to date information about the steps to take to keep themselves and our communities healthy.”
Some Upper Valley organizations have temporarily closed their doors in response to COVID-19. Lebanon Public Libraries announced it was closing its two branches Saturday afternoon until at least Monday, April 6.
“This decision was made out of the utmost concern for the health, safety, and well-being of library patrons, staff, volunteers, and the community,” Library Director Sean Fleming said in an announcement. “The scientific evidence that social distancing can help stop the spread of COVID-19 is a compelling factor in taking this precautionary step.”
Norwich’s Montshire Museum of Science will be closed through Friday, April 3, and the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, better known as VINS, will be closed through Saturday, March 21. The Hartland Public Library has canceled all programs through Saturday, May 2, and all group activities at Lebanon’s Upper Valley Music Center are canceled through Sunday, April 5. A faculty concert scheduled for Saturday, March 21, will be livestreamed. Northern Stage has canceled all programs through May 3.
Beginning Monday, the eight senior centers overseen by Grafton County Senior Citizens Council, which include the Upper Valley Senior Center in downtown Lebanon and the Mascoma Area Senior Center in downtown Canaan, will be closed for an undetermined amount of time. The senior centers will no longer provide congregate meals or transportation and will be open only to staff members, Kathleen Vasconcelos, executive director of the council, said in an email. Meals on Wheels deliveries will continue.
Also starting Monday, White River Junction’s Bugbee Senior Center will restrict its use by outside groups and limit its scheduled activities, according to the organization’s website. Congregate meals at the center will still take place and Meals on Wheels deliveries will continue.
Editor’s note: For more cancellations as we receive them, join the “Upper Valley Calendar” Facebook group overseen by Valley News editors. For all of our Upper Valley coronavirus reporting, visit www.vnews.com/coronavirus; stories are free to access.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213. Valley News Staff Writer Liz Sauchelli contributed to this report.
Correction
An earlier version of this story misidentified the number of cases being treated in Vermont based on information from a news release that was later corrected. Three new cases with ties to Vermont were announced on Saturday, including a Windsor County man being treated at the White River Junction VA, a Washington County man who is self-isolating at home, and a New York man who was tested at Springfield (Vt.) Hospital and released to isolate at home.
