Slower rise in Covid-19 cases for s. Vt. towns

By Cherise Madigan
©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC

The number of new cases in southern Vermont towns have begun to decline, although statewide case counts, deaths and hospitalizations remain on the rise.

Springfield and Chester both saw the largest bumps in cases for the week between Jan. 27 and Feb. 3, with 19 and 7 more respectively. Springfield, which saw 15 more cases the week before, continues to have experienced the most cases in the area since the pandemic began in March 2020 with a total of 142, followed by Manchester with a total of 109.  However, Manchester’s rise has dropped from 23 the week before to just 5 between Jan. 27 and Feb. 3.

The statewide positivity rate has declined for the past five weeks in a row, but Bennington County is now driving many of the state’s numbers, according to Health Commissioner Mark Levine.

Covid-19 Cases by Town

Cases recorded since the start of the pandemic March 3, 2020 to Feb. 3, 2021

Town	Total Cases as of Feb. 3	Total Cases as of Jan. 27	Total Cases as of Jan. 20	Total Cases as of Jan. 13	Increase over Jan. 27	Population
Cavendish	16	14	14	14	2	1,406
Chester	49	42	41	35	7	3,154
Danby	27	23	19	16	4	1,311
Dorset	24	21	13	8	3	1,944
Dover	64	63	57	54	1	1,064
Grafton	9	9	7	6	0	679
Jamaica	13	12	12	10	1	1,030
Londonderry	38	36	34	34	2	1,677
Ludlow	41	36	35	33	5	1,885
Manchester	109	104	81	54	5	4,258
Mount Holly	10	10	7	6	0	1,244
Rockingham	83	82	73	71	1	5,282
Springfield	142	123	108	86	19	9,373
Weathersfield	38	35	34	29	3	2,761
Weston	7	6	6	N/A	1	566
Winhall	38	36	33	26	2	735

The chart below reflects area towns that have recorded less than 6 total cases since March and therefore do not have exact case counts available.

Town	Cases per 10,000 people, Feb. 3	Cases per 10,000 people, Jan. 27	Population
Peru	21-40	41-80	375
Windham	<1	<1	419
Andover	21-40	<1	467
Stratton	<1	<1	200
Landgrove	<1	<1	155