Virus cases rise by 40-plus

Confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wise County increased by 43 since Thursday, with the number of deaths at five, an increase of one.

As of last Thursday, the Virginia Department of Health reported a total of 201 cases in the county since the pandemic began months ago. As of Monday, the number had risen to 244.

Last week, the health department reported a surge of 60 new confirmed cases between Aug. 10 and Aug. 13, from 141 to 201.

Yesterday, the department reported a total of 23 confirmed cases in Norton since the pandemic began, an increase of one since Thursday.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases across several months rose from 99,428 Thursday to 103,016 Monday, an increase of 3,588. The number of “probable” cases rose from 4,194 Thursday to 4,405, an increase of 211. During the same period, the number of confirmed deaths increased by 20 to 2,268, while the number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by three to 117.

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