Three deaths, 62 cases reported

December 21, 2021

Wise County reported 56 new COVID-19 cases between last Thursday and yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of Monday, the county had reported a total of 6,286 cases since spring 2020, compared to 6,230 cases four days earlier.
There were 250 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 increased by one, from 138 to 139.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by six, from 714 Thursday to 720 yesterday.
There were 36 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The number of total deaths in the city increased by two, from 17 to 19.

In Virginia, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 741,004 Thursday to 749,459 yesterday, an increase of 8,455. The number of “probable” cases rose from 268,929 Thursday to 274,239 yesterday, an increase of 5,310.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 61 to 12,694. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 20 to 2,442.

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, 53 percent of Wise County residents and roughly 62 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

About 45 percent of county residents and roughly 52 percent of Norton residents are fully vaccinated.

About 14 percent of county residents and 17 percent of Norton residents have received a booster or third dose.

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.