COVID cases continue to spread

Wise County and Norton saw 25 new COVID-19 cases in one day at the end of last week.

Yesterday, the Virginia Department of Health’s COVID data page included statewide case numbers as of that day, along with statewide and local vaccination statistics.

However, the department’s case rate numbers for individual counties and cities were only up to date as of last Friday.

There were 22 new COVID-19 cases reported in Wise County, according the department. As of Friday, the county had racked up a total of 3,908 cases since spring 2020, compared to 3,886 cases as of Thursday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 grew by one in a day, from 109 to 110.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by three in one day, from 376 to 379 as of Friday.

The number of total deaths in the city remained at eight.

The delta variant of the virus continues to spread locally and statewide.

In Virginia, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 588,680 Thursday to 596,153 Monday, an increase of 7,473. The number of “probable” cases rose from 185,417 Thursday to 190,757 yesterday, an increase of 5,340.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 47 to 10,081. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by three to 1,848.

To look at the health department’s data, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov and go to the COVID-19 Data and Resources section.

VACCINATION RATES

As of Monday, almost 47 percent of Wise County residents and almost 54 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

However, only 38 percent of county residents and nearly 43 percent of Norton residents are fully vaccinated.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced Aug. 12 that 73 percent of Virginians 18 and older had received at least one dose.

Guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention specifies that those who are unvaccinated or not fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks, practice physical distancing and avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.