Around New England

Two Vermont Counties Still Have No Reported Coronavirus Cases

April 1, 2020

Does Vermont have two counties that have not been touched by novel coronavirus yet?

According to the Burlington Free Press, the Vermont Department of Health says there are two counties in the state that have not reported any cases of this coronavirus strand yet:  Grand Isle and Essex.

Grand Isle is the farthest northwest county in Vermont whereas Essex is the farthest northeast. Both border on Quebec.

Both are rural counties, even by Vermont standards. Each county has a total population of less than 7,000.

However, public health officials say that doesn’t mean coronavirus is not there or that the people who live in these counties are safe from it.

“Vermont is experiencing spread of COVID-19 throughout our communities,” Vermont Health Department spokesman Ben Truman told the Burlington Free Press. “The virus respects no borders, which is why our guidance and state orders are designed to reduce the spread of the virus.”

As of the afternoon of Tuesday, April 1, there had been 4,250 coronavirus tests conducted in Vermont and 293 cases confirmed by positive tests. Thirteen people are known to have died from coronavirus in Vermont.