Vermont retires daily COVID-19 data dashboard. How to find risk info.

As of Might 18, the state of Vermont is now not updating its on-line COVID-19 case information each day. 

As an alternative, Vermont will publish a COVID-19 pattern report on a weekly foundation, which state officers say will assist give attention to information most helpful for monitoring and figuring out threat in Vermont. 

Vermont well being officers are telling Vermonters to evaluate their very own threat when figuring out whether or not they should take precautions in opposition to COVID-19, equivalent to carrying a masks or bodily distancing from others.

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Some Vermonters aren’t satisfied that eliminating day by day updates is the very best transfer and are frightened they are going to be unable to correctly decide their very own threat.

“If public well being companies need to make public well being a personal matter, then they should empower people with higher information, unambiguous communication, and a lot better entry to the instruments they should shield themselves,” wrote Anne Sosin, a researcher on COVID-19 and rural well being fairness at Dartmouth Faculty, in a Tweet on Might 10.

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Why change to weekly COVID-19 studies?

Nonetheless, Vermont Well being Commissioner Dr. Mark Levine says counting on day by day COVID-19 case counts is now not helpful in assessing threat because the widespread use of at-home assessments have made the info much less significant. The brand new report will embody info on the statewide threat degree, which Levine known as one of the vital necessary items of knowledge in figuring out private threat degree.

“At this level within the pandemic, you actually shouldn’t be basing your resolution on day by day fluctuations in case numbers,” Levine mentioned throughout a information convention on Might 17.

He added, “This report presents essentially the most priceless information we’re utilizing to watch COVID-19 in Vermont now and shifting ahead. It exhibits traits in who’s coming to the emergency room with COVID-like sickness, an necessary indicator of virus exercise as case counts are now not dependable.”

The brand new weekly COVID-19 report for Vermont, which shall be up to date every Wednesday, may be discovered at healthvermont.gov/covid-19/current-activity. 

For Vermonters who need as a lot info as doable to assist assess their private threat, the next assets could also be useful: 

• Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention county view: Classifies counties all through the U.S. as having low, medium or excessive transmission of COVID-19 based mostly on seven-day metrics. Information lags a couple of days behind, however is up to date day by day. Go to covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view.
• Johns Hopkins College Coronavirus Useful resource Middle: Information is up to date day by day, however could run a couple of days behind. Map permits guests to zoom in on particular counties. Go to coronavirus.jhu.edu/us-map.
• Burlington Free Press information: The Johns Hopkins College information fuels the Free Press’ tracker: information.burlingtonfreepress.com/coronavirus-curve.
• Vermont Open Geodata Portal: Datasets from the state of Vermont are up to date on a weekly foundation on Wednesdays. Go to geodata.vermont.gov/pages/covid-19.

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 802-310-8585 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Observe her on Twitter at @LizMurrayBFP.