Area sees 98 more cases

Wise County reported 86 new COVID-19 cases between Monday and yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of Thursday, the county had reported a total of 6,095 cases since spring 2020, compared to 6,009 cases three days earlier.
There were 244 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 remained at 132.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 12, from 670 Monday to 682 yesterday.
There were 35 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The number of total deaths in the city remained at 17.

In Virginia, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 723,503 Monday to 728,989 yesterday, an increase of 5,486. The number of “probable” cases rose from 259,552 Monday to 262,232 yesterday, an increase of 2,680.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 88 to 12,488. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by nine to 2,380.

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, nearly 53 percent of Wise County residents and about 61 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

Nearly 45 percent of county residents and about 51 percent of Norton residents are fully vaccinated.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced Nov. 12 that more than 83 percent of Virginia adults had received at least one dose, while 75 percent of adults are 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.