Area marks five more deaths, another 274 COVID-19 cases

Wise County reported 231 new COVID-19 cases between Dec. 27 and yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of Monday, the county had reported a total of 6,658 cases since spring 2020, compared to 6,427 cases one week earlier.
There were 260 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 increased by four, from 142 to 146.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 43, from 735 Dec. 27 to 778 yesterday.
There were 36 city residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The number of total deaths in the city increased by one, from 19 to 20.

In Virginia, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 776,232 Dec. 27 to 835,463 yesterday, an increase of 59,231. The number of “probable” cases rose from 291,617 Dec. 27 to 325,240 yesterday, an increase of 33,623.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 178 to 13,038. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 118 to 2,577.

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 53 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.

Almost 16 percent of county residents and 19 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.