Starting Monday, March 14, the Burlington School District will no longer require students and teachers to wear masks. The BHS Register compiled recent Covid-19 data to help Seahorses assess their risks and make informed decisions.

Covid-19 Information:

According to a study from the CDC, from December 2020 to October 2021, the odds of dying from Covid-19 as a vaccinated adult in the United States were 1 in 30,300. The odds of suffering from severe illness as a vaccinated adult in the United States were 1 in 6,700. Scientists continue to research the new omicron variant, which appears less dangerous.

In this study, all people with drastic outcomes had at least one risk factor; 78% of persons who died had at least four.

The risk of dying from Covid-19 as an unvaccinated adult is 11 times greater than a vaccinated adult.

A total of 1,050 children (18 and under) both vaccinated and unvaccinated in the United States have died from Covid-19. The odds of death equal 1 in 139,047 per year.

For perspective, 1 in 49,000 adults in the 2019-2020 season, and 1 in 150,205 children died from the flu in the 2019-2020 season.

1 in 8,400 people died from an automobile accident in 2019.

Vermont case count graphs developed by the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/vermont-covid-cases.html 

Vaccination Statistics:

Percent of Burlington High School vaccinated: more than 80%

81% of Vermont residents ages 5+ have completed vaccination, which the Vermont Department of Health defines as two doses. Additionally, 66% of people aged 12+ have received a third dose. 

Masks:

The CDC reports cloth masks as 56% effective against the spread of Covid-19, surgical masks as 66% effective, N95/KN95 as 83% effective. This study comes from California in 2021 with a sample size of 534 participants.