Area sees 69 new cases, one more fatality

Wise County reported 52 new COVID-19 cases between last Thursday and yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of yesterday, the county had reported a total of 5,512 cases since spring 2020, compared to 5,460 cases as of Thursday.
There were 229 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 increased by one, from 128 to 129.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 17 between last Thursday and yesterday, from 587 to 604.

There were 30 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.

The number of total deaths in the city remained at 14.

In Virginia, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 691,953 Thursday to 694,925 yesterday, an increase of 2,972. The number of “probable” cases rose from 240,220 Thursday to 242,003 yesterday, an increase of 1,783.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 84 to 11,915. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 17 to 2,275.

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, 50 percent of Wise County residents and about 58 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

About 43 percent of county residents and about 48 percent of Norton residents are fully vaccinated.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced in mid-August that 73 percent of Virginians 18 and older had received at least one dose.

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.