PLAINFIELD, Vt. (WCAX) – An uptick in flu, COVID, and a stomach bug shuttered two Washington County schools this week and overwhelmed a local hospital.
Monday and Tuesday were sick days for students and staff at the Cabot School and Twinfield Union. Both schools closed their doors, overwhelmed with students and teachers under the weather.
“We have had a couple of schools where it happened all at the same time. When that happens, it can kind sometimes put the school in a stressful situation,” said Caledonia Central Supervisory Union Superintendent Matt Foster.
He says the district over the last week and a half has seen a surge of illness. Classes were back on Wednesday but officials are warning parents to stay vigilant.
The surge isn’t just overwhelming schools. Officials at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnbury say their ER is full.
“We had a couple of medical surges over the weekend, which is a term we use when we have a large {number} of people come through and not enough beds to care for them,” said the hospital’s Shawn Tester.
“We are seeing an increased activity in flu at the moment, both in Vermont and nationally. Also seeing RSV tick up as well. Anecdotally, there seem to be other viruses going around as well, so-called cold viruses,” said The Vermont Department of Health’s John Davy.
School officials say if your child is feeling sick and has symptoms, it is probably best to keep them home.