County, city see three deaths, 42 new cases

Wise County reported 37 new COVID-19 cases between last Thursday and Monday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of Monday, the county had reported a total of 10,027 cases since spring 2020, compared to 9,990 cases four days earlier.
There were 293 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of Monday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 increased by three, from 177 to 180.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by five, from 1,282 Thursday to 1,287 Monday.
There were 39 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of Monday.
The number of total deaths in the city remained at 22.

In Virginia, the highly contagious omicron variant continues to spread, but the rate of new cases is slowing down.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 1,165,816 Thursday to 1,169,612 Monday, an increase of 3,796. The number of “probable” cases rose from 469,035 Thursday to 470,330 Monday, an increase of 1,295.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 284 to 15,554. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 47 to 3,217.

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 Monday, 55 percent of Wise County residents and 65 percent of Norton residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to health department statistics.

About 48 percent of county residents and 55 percent of Norton residents have received a second dose.

Almost 20 percent of county residents and 24 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.