Another death, 162 new cases over three days

Wise County reported 142 new COVID-19 cases between Jan. 3 and yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of Thursday, the county had reported a total of 6,800 cases since spring 2020, compared to 6,658 cases three days earlier.
There were 266 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.

The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 increased by one, from 146 to 147.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 20, from 778 Monday to 798 yesterday.
There were 36 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The number of total deaths in the city remained at 20.

In Virginia, new case rates are exploding as the highly contagious omicron variant spreads. However, the rate of additional fatalities appears to be slowing.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 835,463 Monday to 863,214 yesterday, an increase of 27,751. The number of “probable” cases rose from 325,240 Monday to 339,513 yesterday, an increase of 13,273.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 24 to 13,062.

The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by three to 2,580.

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 54 percent of Wise County residents and 63 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

Forty-six percent of county residents and almost 53 percent of Norton residents have received a second dose.

About 16 percent of county residents and nearly 20 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 had received a second 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.