Another death, 389 new cases since Monday

Wise County reported 346 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 8,853 cases since spring 2020, compared to 8,507 cases three days earlier.
There were 282 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 increased by one, from 160 to 161.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 43, from 1,073 Monday to 1,116 yesterday.
There were 37 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The number of total deaths in the city remained at 20.

In Virginia, the highly contagious omicron variant continues to spread.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 1,103,675 Monday to 1,116,282 yesterday, an increase of 12,607. The number of “probable” cases rose from 441,961 Monday to 449,240 yesterday, an increase of 7,279.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 206 to 13,724. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 125 to 2,824.

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, more than 54 percent of Wise County residents and more than 64 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

About 47 percent of county residents and more than 54 percent of Norton residents have received a second dose.

About 18 percent of county residents and 22 percent of Norton residents have received a booster or third dose.

Former 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.