Area records 142 new cases, two more deaths

Wise County reported 121 new COVID-19 cases between Nov. 22 and Monday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of Monday, the county had reported a total of 5,867 cases since spring 2020, compared to 5,746 cases one week earlier.

There were 236 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of Monday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 remained at 130.
The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 21, from 632 Nov. 22 to 653 yesterday.

There were 35 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The number of total deaths in the city increased by two, from 15 to 17.

In Virginia, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 707,772 Nov. 22 to 713,744 Monday, an increase of 5,972. The number of “probable” cases rose from 249,798 Nov. 22 to 253,465 Monday, an increase of 3,667.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 116 to 12,327. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 20 to 2,357.

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, roughly 52 percent of Wise County residents and about 60 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

About 44 percent of county residents and almost 50 percent of Norton residents are fully vaccinated.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced Nov. 12 that more than 83 percent of Virginia adults had received at least one dose, while 75 percent of adults are fully vaccinated.

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.