Local case count reduced by one

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began early last year, the Virginia Department of Health has reported a decrease in Wise County’s total confirmed virus cases.

The department reported Thursday morning that the county’s total cases in the months since the pandemic began stood at 3,271. That number is one less than the total cases reported as of Monday.

It was not immediately clear why the case count was revised down by one.

The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 remained at 102.

Meanwhile, the health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton remained at 290.
The number of total deaths in the city remained at seven.
Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases across several months rose from 528,373 Monday to 528,805 Thursday, an increase of 720. The number of “probable” cases rose from 150,392 Monday to 150,525 Thursday, an increase of 133.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 18 to 9,608. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths remained at 1,770.

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

REMINDERS

As of Thursday, 14,862 Wise County residents had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the health department. That’s about 40 percent of the population as it was estimated in 2019, at nearly 37,400.

As of Thursday, 1,763 Norton residents had gotten at least one dose. That’s about 44 percent of the estimated 2019 population of 3,981.

Monday, Gov. Ralph Northam announced that 70 percent of Virginians 18 and older have received at least one dose.

The commonwealth continues to see a significant decline in new virus cases, hospitalizations and deaths, the governor noted.

Virginia ended all COVID-19 mitigation measures May 28. The state of emergency that was declared March 12, 2020 is set to expire June 30.

However, 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.