Vermont’s COVID-19 community levels were “low” over the past week, the state Department of Health reported Wednesday, April 12.

The department reported only 17 hospital admissions for the disease during this period — the lowest seven-day total the state has reported since at least May 2022. There were 23 hospital admissions the previous week.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reported 3.1 hospital admissions per 100,000 residents in Addison County during the first week of the month, which is essentially one hospital admission for COVID-19 in Addison County. It also reported essentially 8 cases of COVID-19 in Addison County in that period.

The state also reported 139 COVID cases, down from 265 cases the week before. Case data is primarily based on PCR testing and does not include at-home antigen tests.

All 14 of Vermont’s counties reported “low” COVID levels last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.

The state health department reported three additional COVID deaths this week, bringing March’s total to 15 and April’s total to two deaths. March had the lowest monthly death total since July 2021.

HEALTH DEPT. RETIRES VACCINE DASHBOARD

The health department announced on its website Wednesday, April 12, that it would stop publishing new COVID vaccine data as of this week.

The vaccine dashboard, separate from the COVID data dashboard retired last year, posted weekly updates on the number of Vermonters vaccinated for COVID, including demographic data and data broken down by dose and county.

Since the dashboard was launched in December 2020, Vermont has administered roughly 1.7 million doses of the COVID vaccine, including both the initial vaccine doses and booster shots. About 500,000 Vermonters, or 80% of the population, completed the primary vaccine course, according to the department.

But progress on subsequent vaccine campaigns has slowed. The 80% of Vermonters figure has barely budged in recent months, and a far lower percentage of the population age 5 and older — 35% — has remained fully up-to-date on COVID shots, including the recommended bivalent booster.

The biggest disparity is by age group: Only 17% of 5- to 11-year-olds are up to date on their booster vaccines, compared to 73% of people 75 and older.

The health department said that, in the fall, it would introduce a new dashboard that combines COVID and flu vaccine data to align “with our goal of streamlining information sharing about respiratory viruses.”