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Omicron variant spurs rise in Covid cases locally, statewide

Omicron variant spurs rise in Covid cases locally, statewide

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Although Vermont officials, including those with the Health Department, have given less focus in their weekly press conferences to discuss Covid-19 numbers, cases per week have nearly doubled since the end of March,while hospitalization numbers have tripled, driven largely by the Omicron BA.2 variant according to reports from the Center for […]

Chester to hold public forum on use of $900k in ARPA funds

Chester to hold public forum on use of $900k in ARPA funds

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Monday, May 9 Chester residents and property owners will be able to to weigh in on how the town will use $900,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds. The brainstorming session is part of an outreach effort to get the public’s ideas for the best use […]

Weekly Covid Update: State narrows testing recommendation as focus shifts from Covid

Weekly Covid Update: State narrows testing recommendation as focus shifts from Covid Clinics move from state-run to health providers, pharmacies

Editor’s Note: The Chester Telegraph began publishing its Weekly Covid Update every Friday beginning in April 2020.  Since then, we have written more than 93 update articles (and hundreds more on Covid itself) to let you know where our communities have stood when it comes to the pandemic’s spread, its vaccination rates and testing. We’ve […]

Pandemic's 2 year anniversary: Covid not over, but Vermonters moving toward healthful balance

Pandemic’s 2 year anniversary: Covid not over, but Vermonters moving toward healthful balance Covid cases rise again as new BA2 sub-variant found in U.S.

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Having passed the two-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic on March 13, a mix of ups and downs reflected in the key metrics being tracked weekly indicates that the Covid-19 virus is not over yet, something Gov. Phil Scott and Vermont Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine both touched on […]

Weekly Covid Update: Guidelines for masking and quarantine change Monday

Weekly Covid Update: Guidelines for masking and quarantine change Monday

© 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC As reported last week, starting March 14, guidance for masks and isolation/quarantining will be changing. The decision to wear a mask will be up to each individual person based on their own circumstances, personal risk assessment, and health needs.” He also asked that Vermonters to be supportive of personal choices […]

Weekly Covid Update: State lifts mask recommendation March 14

Weekly Covid Update: State lifts mask recommendation March 14 Vermont vaccination rates stagnate

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC On Thursday, Gov. Phil Scott and Vermont health officials announced that Covid-19 public health guidance for masks will be lifted and isolation/quarantining recommendations will be simplified beginning Monday, March 14. The statewide mask recommendation for schools and all Vermonters is being lifted completely on that date. According to Vermont State Epidemiologist […]

Weekly Covid Update: State plans transition into living with Covid

Weekly Covid Update: State plans transition into living with Covid

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC The Covid-19 update was just a small part of Gov. Phil Scott’s  weekly press conference on Tuesday as Covid case numbers continue to fall. State Health Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine was the only state official to speak on Covid this past Tuesday, saying that the state was planning for the deliberate […]

Weekly Covid Update: Schools with 80% vaxx rate can drop mask requirements

Weekly Covid Update: Schools with 80% vaxx rate can drop mask requirements

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC With overall Covid-19 numbers continuing to decline, Gov. Phil Scott announced that as of Monday, Feb. 28,  state guidance will allow schools to end mask requirements if they have achieved an 80 percent vaccination rate. He went on to add that this was just a first step and that “in the […]

Weekly Covid Update: Cases, hospitalizations, deaths fall

Weekly Covid Update: Cases, hospitalizations, deaths fall

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC As Vermont Covid-19 metrics across the board continued to improve,  Gov. Phil Scott again moved quickly off the pandemic topic during his Tuesday pandemic press conference. When asked about state-wide masking for schools and other indoor settings, Scott said that the state had extended the guidance for schools a number of […]

Weekly Covid Update: New Covid cases continue to drop; state shifts focus to recovery, prevention

Weekly Covid Update: New Covid cases continue to drop; state shifts focus to recovery, prevention

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC With new Covid 19 cases continuing to plummet, Vermont state and health officials have begun shifting their narrative to one of recovery and long-term prevention vs. crisis management. On Tuesday during the weekly press conference, Gov. Phil Scott offered little comment on Covid-19, other than saying he was “very encouraged.” Instead, […]

Op-ed: Covid exacerbates, highlights inequality of working women

Op-ed: Covid exacerbates, highlights inequality of working women

By Kellie Campbell, Ed.D. Vermont Commission on Women If you have been to a restaurant lately, you have probably seen signs on the door about being short-staffed and asking for your patience. Perhaps you are a parent who received a message from your childcare provider about having to close early or shorten hours due to […]

While Vermont Covid cases total 103,066, overall positivity rate declines

While Vermont Covid cases total 103,066, overall positivity rate declines

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Although the total Covid case count for Vermont since the start of the pandemic crested the 100,000 mark this week, overall state data points to a widespread decline, especially in weekly case totals that plummeted from last week’s 10,104 down to 6,651. The overall total number of Covid cases in Vermont […]

Weekly Covid Update: Record hospitalizations, jump in deaths as cases see decline

Weekly Covid Update: Record hospitalizations, jump in deaths as cases see decline With at-home testing rising, state ends collecting school data

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC As case numbers and positivity rates begin to wane, a   surge is now being played out through record hospitalizations and a higher death count. Record hospitalizations for Covid were reported on Wednesday, Jan. 19, hitting 122, although that number has now decreased to 108 as of data reported on Friday, […]

Weekly Covid Update: State urges more masking as new positive rate smashes record 10,000

Weekly Covid Update: State urges more masking as new positive rate smashes record 10,000 Vermont's 175,000 available test gone within hours

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC The state hit a record single-day total of 2,975 cases this past week after glitches in the state Health Department website delayed recording positive case numbers. The new record-breaking weekly total smashed through the 10,000 barrier with 12,509 new cases, up from 7,884 the week before and nearly quadrupling weekly case […]

Andover board opts for in-person Town Meeting; Bodin says voters' voices are being disrespected

Andover board opts for in-person Town Meeting; Bodin says voters’ voices are being disrespected

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC Long simmering disagreements over a number of issues boiled over at Monday’s Andover Select Board meeting after the board decided on a 3 to 2 vote to return to a “floor vote” Town Meeting rather than using Australian ballots as it did last year due to the […]

Chester board opts for remote Town Meeting; kicks cannabis vote down the road

Chester board opts for remote Town Meeting; kicks cannabis vote down the road

By Shawn Cunningham © 2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC For the second year in a row, the Chester Select Board has concluded that putting the question of allowing retail sales of cannabis before the voters needs more board discussion, although they may look at it on Wednesday, Jan. 19, the final day before they must finalize […]

Need a vax?  Springfield Hospital holds walk-in clinic

Need a vax? Springfield Hospital holds walk-in clinic

Springfield Hospital, working in close collaboration with the state of Vermont and the Vermont Department of Health, is utilizing the six-person FEMA team to provide an outpatient vaccination clinic onsite at the hospital. The vaccine clinic is held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Friday, Jan. 14 at the hospital, 25 Ridgewood Road in […]

Weekly Covid Update: Vermont, Chester hit record Covid numbers again

Weekly Covid Update: Vermont, Chester hit record Covid numbers again

©2022 Telegraph Publishing LLC In a sentence that seems like a broken record, and as state officials predicted heading into the holidays, Vermont’s new Covid-19 cases have soared into record territory again this past week. The state hit a record single-day total of 2,188 cases Thursday. The record busting new weekly total now stands at […]

Chester board OKs 'statement' encouraging individual Covid mitigation measures

Chester board OKs ‘statement’ encouraging individual Covid mitigation measures

By Shawn Cunningham © Telegraph Publishing LLC While a number of area towns including Cavendish, Ludlow and Windham have instituted mask mandates for public buildings, the Chester board issued a statement that while there is increasing transmission of Covid in Vermont and New Hampshire, “The Town of Chester is not supportive of implementing a mask […]

Vermont Covid cases hit new records

Vermont Covid cases hit new records Omicron has yet to show impact on hospitalizations, deaths

©2021 Telegraph Publishing LLC As state officials predicted heading into the holidays and the new year — and likely driven by the more contagious Omicron variant –Vermont’s new Covid-19 cases have soared into record territory this past week. The state hit a single-day case total of 1,352 on Thursday, Dec. 30, and a record weekly […]