Vermont reporters provide a roundup of top news takeaways about more COVID-19 cases, new safety precautions for public schools and more for Tuesday, Aug. 3.
Want VPR's daily news in podcast form? Get up to speed in under 15 minutes with every weekday morning. How about an email newsletter? to your morning routine.
As Vermont's pandemic state of emergency has ended and coronavirus restrictions lifted statewide, we will no longer be reporting daily case numbers at the top of this post. , and find any time.
1. Vermont Dept. of Health reports 34 new COVID-19 cases, as Essex and Chittenden counties see "substantial" community transmission
Vermont health officials reported 34 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday.
Vermont's COVID-19 case numbers are the highest since May: the health department reported 78 new cases over the weekend, and last Friday saw 70 new cases and one new virus-linked death.
Much of that is due to the highly contagious Delta variant of the virus, and increased community transmission.
More than a third were in Chittenden County, which has now seen 200 infections over the last two weeks.
The CDC on Monday recommend masking indoors in Chittenden and Essex Counties after the federal agency said they'd reached "substantial" levels of community transmission of the virus.
Three people are hospitalized statewide due to COVID-19. One person is in intensive care.
To date, 84.1% of eligible Vermonters have now gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine.
鈥� Matthew Smith and Anna Van Dine
Chittenden, Essex counties see increased community transmission
Vermont鈥檚 most and least populous counties both have 鈥渟ubstantial鈥� levels of community transmission of COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That means enough residents in Chittenden and Essex counties have tested positive for the virus for the CDC to recommend masking indoors.
In Essex county three new COVID-19 cases in the past week accounted for that change, while in Chittenden county, 99 people tested positive for the virus in the last seven days.
Tin Barton-Caplin is the district director at the Newport Health Office, which covers northern Essex and Orleans counties.
"You may consider wanting to wear masks in indoor places," Barton-Caplin said. "You may want to look at your own comfort level with whatever strategies make sense for you to mitigate risk, knowing there may be higher transmission levels."
He notes Vermont鈥檚 Department of Health has not recommended any changes for the public at this point.
鈥� Lexi Krupp
Dartmouth-Hitchcock to require vaccination for all 13,000 staff members
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center will require all of its 13,000 employees to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The requirement will take effect Sept. 30.
Employees will have the option of seeking a medical or religious exemption, according to an announcement by hospital leadership Tuesday.
The health system's president says the majority of employees are already vaccinated, but some remain unprotected. The requirement will extend to remote and per-diem employees.
Dartmouth joins a wave of employers across the country requiring their workers to be vaccinated.
鈥� Henry Epp
North Adams, Mass. nursing home sees outbreak, mostly among vaccinated residents, staff
The North Adams Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Massachusetts has reported a COVID-19 outbreak of at least 35 cases, all but four of which are among residents and staff who had been fully vaccinated.
reports 30 residents and five staffers have tested positive as of Monday. Two residents and two staff were unvaccinated.
Berkshire Healthcare operates the center, and company spokesperson Lisa Gaudet says they can't yet say for sure if the infections are due to the more-transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19.
"Right now, we're still waiting on the sequencing. We're being told by DPH that we should presume that it's a Delta variant," Gaudet said. "But we're still waiting for those results."
Gaudet says Berkshire Healthcare does not currently have a vaccine mandate for its staff.
She says the facility is now performing a rapid COVID-19 test of every unvaccinated staff member on every shift before they start work.
鈥� Josh Landes, WAMC
2. Gov. Scott unveils masking guidance for Vermont public schools
K-12 schools in Vermont will welcome children back to the classroom later this month.
And the Scott administration wants all students and staff to wear masks, regardless of their vaccination status.
Secretary of Education Dan French announced the new guidance at a press briefing earlier Tuesday.
鈥淲e will not be recommending any distancing requirements, so we feel masking will be a good strategy to implement at the beginning of the year, as students and staff settle into the pattern of full in-person instruction," French said.
French says the universal masking guidance will remain in place indefinitely at schools serving students younger than 12.
He says the state will eventually lift the masking recommendation for middle and high schools, but only at districts in which 80% of students 12 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Scott said there will be vaccination clinics at schools, to help boost vaccine uptake.
"In order to help achieve these goals, we鈥檒l have more vaccine clinics in schools leading up to and after classes start," he said. "We hope this inspires parents to do the right thing, and sign their kids up to be fully vaccinated.鈥�
鈥� Peter Hirschfeld
3. Vermonter Elle Purrier to compete in the 1500m semi-finals Wednesday morning
Vermont track star Elle Purrier St. Pierre continues her Olympic bid tomorrow morning, when she competes in the 1500 meter semi-finals.
Among those cheering her on will be Cabot Creamery.
The cheese company started working with Purrier St. Pierre this spring as a Instagram influencer.
Cabot spokesperson Amber Sheridan says this is the first time they鈥檝e collaborated with an athlete on social media. It was a natural fit, she says, given that Purrier St. Pierre鈥檚 family was a member of the cooperative before they sold their dairy cows late last year.
And Sheridan says Cabot employees and member farms are following the track star as she competes on the international stage.
鈥淪everal members have commented that they're going to be ringing the cowbell as loudly as they can for her," Sheridan said.
Purrier St. Pierre's next race is scheduled for 6 a.m. eastern time Wednesday.
鈥� Elodie Reed
4. New article re-examines potential benefits of GMOs
Vermont was the first state in the country to require companies to label foods that contain genetically modified organisms 鈥� or GMOs 鈥� leading to a national law that pre-empted Vermont's rule.
And though GMO labels are now common, a new article in the New York Times Magazine examines some of GMOs' potential benefits.
Jennifer Kahn is the article's author. She says GMOs could help produce fruits and vegetables more efficiently, which has implications for combating climate change.
"So what we don't want, as the population on the planet increases, is to have to devote more land space to agriculture," Kahn said. "We need agriculture to become more efficient. So that's one argument for GMOs."
Kahn says some genetically modified crops 鈥� like those produced to resist herbicides 鈥� can lead to overspraying of herbicides and promote monoculture farming.
鈥� Henry Epp
5. Vermont to distribute thousands of rabies vaccines in oral bait packets this week
The state of Vermont will begin to distribute almost half a million packets of rabies vaccine this Thursday.
It鈥檚 the 25th year of the annual effort, where packets of oral bait meant to attract raccoons and skunks are dropped throughout the state by hand and by low-flying aircraft.
Kim Royer with the Department of Fish & Wildlife says the bait packs are not poisonous to humans or animals.
"I would suggest if you find one on your lawn or on your property that you put gloves and sort of move it to the hedgerow," Royer said.
Rabies is a deadly viral disease, and it鈥檚 mostly spread through the bite of an infected animal.
The drop starts Thursday, Aug. 5 and will continue for a week.
鈥� Anna Van Dine
Abagael Giles compiled and edited this post.
Have questions, comments or tips? or tweet us.
