COVID cases, deaths continue to increase

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wise County increased by 51 across four days.

The Virginia Department of Health reported Monday morning that the county’s total confirmed cases in the months since the pandemic began had risen to 2,606, as compared to 2,555 Thursday.

The number of county COVID-19 deaths increased by five, rising to 82.

Meanwhile, the health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton remained at 225.

However, Monday’s report indicated the number of total deaths in the city was two, down by one from Thursday’s report. The reason for the change was not immediately clear.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases across several months rose from 372,216 Thursday to 385,892 yesterday, an increase of 13,676. The number of “probable” cases rose from 87,388 Thursday to 92,727 yesterday, an increase of 5,339.

During the same period, the number of confirmed deaths in Virginia increased by 152 to 5,363.

However, the number of probable COVID-19 deaths decreased by 11, from 729 to 718. Again, the reason for the change was not immediately clear.

To look at the health department’s data, visit www.vdh.virginia.gov and go to the COVID-19 Data and Resources section.

REMINDERS

The state health department reminds citizens that an executive order is in effect requiring people to wear cloth face coverings while they are in indoor public spaces.

“Cloth face coverings can help protect the people around you,” the department explains on its website. “Many people with COVID-19 have no signs or symptoms and can pass the virus to others without knowing it. When we talk, sneeze, or cough, tiny droplets that contain the virus can be carried into the air. Wearing a cloth face covering helps stop those droplets from going into the air or landing on surfaces.”

In other words, wearing a face mask is intended to protect not yourself, but those around you. Refusing to wear a face mask in a supermarket, convenience store, pharmacy or other indoor public setting means that you are putting those around you at greater risk.

Although the executive order has been in place since late May, those traveling around Wise County and Norton continue to frequently encounter people who enter public indoor facilities without wearing a face covering. While businesses have posted signs near entrances reminding patrons of the mask requirement, actual enforcement remains spotty at best.

Anyone who is concerned about others not being required to wear a face mask indoors can file an online complaint by going to https://redcap.vdh.virginia.gov/redcap/surveys/?s=Y4P9H7DTWA.