Local case rates mixed; on rise across Virginia

Monday, the Virginia Department of Health revised down its total COVID-19 case count for Wise County since the pandemic began, but Norton’s case count went up.

The department reported a total of 3,318 cases in the county since spring 2020, compared to 3,321 cases reported last Thursday. The reason for the downward revision was not immediately clear.

The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 remained at 105.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by five, from 294 to 299.

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

Meanwhile, statewide case numbers continue to rise, now at a faster pace than last week.

In Virginia, the total number of confirmed cases across several months rose from 533,967 last Thursday to 535,453 yesterday, an increase of 1,486. The number of “probable” cases rose from 153,583 Thursday to 154,730 yesterday, an increase of 1,147.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 13 to 9,713. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths remained at 1,793.

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

REMINDERS

Only about 40 percent of Wise County residents and nearly 45 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced June 21 that 70 percent of Virginians 18 and older had received at least one dose.

Meanwhile, the delta variant of the virus is causing a resurgence in cases across Virginia and the nation, mostly affecting people who are not 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.