Tracking News & Updates

COVID-19 Response:

How the Tracking Team is Helping

The Vermont Tracking Team has been lending its expertise to help with the Health Department's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We thought we'd share what we've been working on.

Amelia Ray , information director, is part of the Crisis Emergency Risk Communication Team and leads the effort to keep the 150+ frequently asked questions about COVID-19 up to date.

Brennan Martin , Birth Defects Registry analyst, is part of the M ain Call Center and answers the COVID-19 related questions of callers and provides information and guidance to them.

Daniel Jarvis , GIS manager, is part of the Planning Team and assists in the management and dissemination of spatial data during the response.

David Grass , principal investigator and program manager, is the deputy director of the Epidemiology Branch, which includes the Contact Tracing, Outbreak Response, Travel Monitoring, and Data Management teams. He also serves as a liaison to municipal governments.

Jan Leja , systems developer, is part of the IT Support Team and primarily works on improving the COVID-19 FAQs chat bot .

Lauren Prinzing , epidemiologist, is part of the Epidemiology Data Management and Analysis Team, which is responsible for ensuring the accuracy of Vermont’s case data, producing a weekly data summary , and responding to data requests from within state government, the media, and the public.

Wendy Blackman , data analyst, is part of the team performing PCR testing at the Health Department Lab. (Previously she was a microbiologist for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.)

Learn about COVID-19 in Vermont

Here's what else the Vermont Tracking Program has been up to.

Cyanobacteria Tracker Now Includes Photos

In partnership with the Recreational Water Program, the Cyanobacteria Tracker was upgraded and underwent some improvements this season.

Lake Champlain and other inland lakes are regularly monitored by Lake Champlain Committee volunteers and staff from the departments of Environmental Conservation and Health. The reports are posted on the Cyanobacteria Tracker weekly.

The map is interactive, which allows you to click on a report location to see the details. Starting this year, photos of the blooms can be posted. If one was uploaded, you can click on a link to view it.

Vermonters can also help crowd source the reporting of conditions. Using a new online form , people can easily send in reports, upload photos and relay the location of cyanobacteria blooms. Staff from the departments of Environmental Conservation and Health or the Lake Champlain Committee review each report for whether it is a cyanobacteria bloom. If it is, the report will be posted on the Cyanobacteria Tracker.

Go to the Cyanobacteria Tracker Map

New Platform for the Public Health Data Explorer

We’re in the process of transitioning the Public Health Data Explorer to a new platform. We’d like to announce our first full topic report that is on the new platform: cancer .

As with any major transition, it will take a while. This means you will notice a difference in some of the reports. Rest assured, it’s all the same data and displays we had before, but just a different look and feel.

To help you with the transition, we created a how-to guide . This guide is designed to help you better understand how to navigate the reports and to teach you a few tips and tricks for getting the most out of the reports you create. Be sure to keep an eye out for a video version soon!

Search the Public Health Data Explorer

About Environmental Public Health Tracking

Vermont is one of 26 state and local health departments funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop a state and national tracking network of environmental and health data for the public, policy makers, researchers, and agencies. The Vermont Public Health Data Explorer provides these data in maps, charts, and tables as a part of the State's continuing effort to help Vermonters better understand the relationship between their environment and their health.

Visit the Vermont Tracking Program website