The 487 new Covid-19 cases reported Thursday by the Vermont Department of Health breaks the record for a one-day case total by more than 100 cases.
The spike comes after a lull of mixed case numbers, where the seven-day average wavered between 200 and 220 cases per day. Now, with Thursday’s big bump, the seven-day average has risen to 247 cases per day.
The last time Vermont shattered its previous one-day case total — with 330 cases on Sept. 15 — the health department blamed the number on a computer error that artificially delayed test results.
But this time, “the numbers are accurate and there are no associated glitches or delays,” department spokesperson Ben Truman confirmed via email.
He said daily spikes and dips in cases are sometimes linked to how many Vermonters get tested in a given day.
The data shows that testing spiked on Thursday, with 18,222 new tests conducted in one day.
“Nonetheless, the continued high number of cases reflect a concerning level of ongoing community spread of the virus,” he said.
Chittenden County reported the most cases on Thursday, with 65 cases. But it’s also the state’s most populous county, and its total is in line with recent days.
Bennington, Caledonia, Essex and Franklin counties all reported new one-day records on Thursday. Rutland County reported its second-highest one-day total with 48 new cases, a significant rise from recent days.
[Looking for data on breakthrough cases? See our reporting on the latest available statistics.]
It’s unclear how the latest numbers have affected Vermont’s ranking compared to other states, since most national data sources update their rankings on a delayed schedule and use seven-day averages rather than daily totals.
Fifty-five people in Vermont are currently hospitalized with the virus, including 19 people in intensive care units. The record ICU total is 20.
The department also disclosed six new deaths in its data. In total, 380 people have died during the pandemic, including six in November.
Correction: The total number of Covid-19 deaths during the pandemic has been updated.
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