Three days, four deaths, 99 new cases

Wise County reported 80 new COVID-19 cases between Monday and yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of Thursday, the county had reported a total of 6,230 cases since spring 2020, compared to 6,150 cases three days earlier.
There were 247 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 increased by four, from 134 to 138.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 19, from 695 Monday to 714 yesterday.
There were 35 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The number of total deaths in the city remained at 17.

In Virginia, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 734,937 Monday to 741,004 yesterday, an increase of 6,067. The number of “probable” cases rose from 265,757 Monday to 268,929 yesterday, an increase of 3,172.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 86 to 12,633. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 12 to 2,422.

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, 53 percent of Wise County residents and nearly 62 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

About 45 percent of county residents and nearly 52 percent of Norton residents are fully vaccinated.

About 13 percent of county residents and 16 percent of Norton residents have received a booster or third dose.

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.