Vermont reported 122 new cases of the novel coronavirus Monday, a new record and the latest sign of the rising tide of the pandemic’s latest wave, according to Department of Health data.
Once again, cases were concentrated in Washington County, epicenter of an outbreak that began at an ice rink and spread to several schools, workplaces, and St. Michael’s College. The county had 40 new cases of the virus on Monday, with Chittenden County reporting 28 and Orange County 15.
The state has 19 people currently hospitalized for the virus, a decline from its peak of 21 but still higher than in previous weeks. One hospitalized person in the ICU.
Another rising metric is Vermont’s positivity rate, a measure of how many people test positive for the virus. The Department of Health reports it as 1.6% over the past week, higher than it has been in previous months, but far lower than its peak of over 10% in April.
NEWPORT, N.H. — The COVID-19 outbreak at Woodlawn Care Center, the largest so far reported in the Upper Valley, has grown to 53 people.
The total as of Monday included 33 residents, 19 employees and one contractor at the Newport nursing home. Three residents of the facility on Pine Street have died after testing positive since the outbreak began on Oct. 21.
Three Woodlawn residents were hospitalized as of Monday, though nine residents and four employees had recovered.
“We currently have more than enough (personal protective equipment) and will be requesting more from the state stock pile this week,” wrote Chris Martin, the nursing home’s administrator, on Woodlawn’s Facebook page on Sunday.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services reported 361 new cases on Sunday, including 14 in Grafton County and three in Sullivan County, where Newport is located.
Newport had 39 cases; Hanover had 18; Lebanon 12; Claremont 10; Charlestown nine; New London and Canaan each had seven; and Sunapee six. The state had a total of more than 3,300 active cases.
Dartmouth College had seven active cases of COVID-19 as of Monday, five in students and two in employees. The college has 56 students and nine employees in quarantine, and another five students and 16 employees in isolation.
There were 74 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in New Hampshire on Monday. There were six people hospitalized with COVID-19 at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon as of Monday morning, according to D-H spokeswoman Audra Burns.
EAST CORINTH — The Waits River Valley School moved to remote learning at least through Wednesday of this week.
School officials made the move after more than eight residents of Corinth, Topsham and Barre tested positive for COVID-19, came down with symptoms of the disease or had close contact with someone with COVID-19 or symptoms last week.
At the time of the announcement on Thursday, no employees or students at the school in East Corinth had yet tested positive. But “we feel that positive tests may be coming soon,” said Orange East Supervisory Union Superintendent Emilie Knisley in a letter to families.
Knisley said school officials would decide by Tuesday whether to return to in-person instruction on Thursday, Nov. 19.
— Staff and VtDigger reports