Two deaths, 155 new cases since Monday

September 17, 2021

The local spread of COVID-19 is exploding.

Wise County reported 137 new cases between Monday and yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of yesterday, the county had reported a total of 4,276 cases since spring 2020, compared to 4,139 cases as of Monday.

The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 grew by two, from 113 to 115.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 18 over three days, from 414 to 432.

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 611,798 Monday to 619,377 yesterday, an increase of 7,579. The number of “probable” cases rose from 199,281 Monday to 203,608 yesterday, an increase of 4,327.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 106 to 10,310. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 12 to 1,897.

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 yesterday, nearly 48 percent of Wise County residents and almost 55 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

However, only about 39 percent of county residents and 44 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.