Area sees 20 new cases, two deaths

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wise County increased by 15 across three days.

The Virginia Department of Health reported Thursday morning that the county’s total confirmed cases in the months since the pandemic began had risen to 2,621, as compared to 2,606 Monday.

The number of county COVID-19 deaths increased by two, rising to 84.

Meanwhile, the health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton grew by five to 230.

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

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases across several months rose from 385,892 Monday to 396,440 yesterday, an increase of 10,548. The number of “probable” cases rose from 92,727 Monday to 97,234 yesterday, an increase of 4,507.

During the same period, the number of confirmed deaths in Virginia increased by 203 to 5,566. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 24 to 742.

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

VACCINE

State-level shortages in COVID-19 vaccine are about to get some relief, according to Gov. Ralph Northam.

During his daily press briefing Wednesday, the governor said that starting yesterday, the states would receive a 16 percent increase in vaccine inventory. The supply rate will be locked in so that states can plan vaccine distribution by the month instead of week by week as is now happening.

Pfizer and Moderna report reaching a steady rate of manufacturing, which hopefully will stabilize the supply going to individual states, Northam said.

The best way to schedule a vaccination appointment is by contacting your local health department, he noted, adding that the health department will soon roll out a single statewide appointment system that can be used online and by phone.

REMINDERS

The state health department reminds citizens that an executive order is in effect requiring people to wear cloth face coverings while they are in indoor public spaces.

“Cloth face coverings can help protect the people around you,” the department explains on its website. “Many people with COVID-19 have no signs or symptoms and can pass the virus to others without knowing it. When we talk, sneeze, or cough, tiny droplets that contain the virus can be carried into the air. Wearing a cloth face covering helps stop those droplets from going into the air or landing on surfaces.”

In other words, wearing a face mask is intended to protect not yourself, but those around you. Refusing to wear a face mask in a supermarket, convenience store, pharmacy or other indoor public setting means that you are putting those around you at greater risk.

Although the executive order has been in place since late May, those traveling around Wise County and Norton continue to frequently encounter people who enter public indoor facilities without wearing a face covering. While businesses have posted signs near entrances reminding patrons of the mask requirement, actual enforcement remains spotty at best.

Anyone who is concerned about others not being required to wear a face mask indoors can file an online complaint by going to https://redcap.vdh.virginia.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=Y4P9H7DTWA.