COVID continues to claim lives in our region

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Vermont health officials say COVID case counts and hospital admissions remain “low” following a spike in late October. While the worst of the pandemic may be behind us, the disease continues to claim lives around the region.

The latest weekly update from state health officials shows the seven-day rolling average of hospital patients admitted with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection was between five and six daily admissions throughout the most recent period.

Fourteen Vermonters died from the disease in the past week -- an average of two per day -- a 600% increase, according to the New York Times. The state’s pandemic death total stands at 754.

New Hampshire is averaging about three deaths a day, with a total death toll now up to 2,776.

After a spike in deaths in late October that rivaled conditions back in February, New York’s average daily death rate is back down to a daily average of nine.

The BA.5 omicron subvariant, which has dominated in the region for months, now represents about 41% of the cases in the Northeast, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has been replaced by a number of new omicron subvariants vying for dominance, including BQ.1.1, BF.7, BQ.1, and BA.4.6.

Health officials say that while the new variants contain mutations that may be able to evade older vaccines and natural immunity, the new bivalent booster should provide some protection.