Area records four more deaths, 276 new cases

January 14, 2022

Wise County reported 228 new COVID-19 cases between Monday and yesterday, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

As of Monday, the county had reported a total of 7,169 cases since spring 2020, compared to 6,941 cases three days earlier.
There were 271 county residents hospitalized with COVID as of yesterday.
The county’s total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 increased by four, from 148 to 152.

The health department’s cumulative positive case count for Norton increased by 48, from 825 Monday to 873 yesterday.
There were 38 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.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began rose from 915,575 Monday to 954,176 yesterday, an increase of 38,601. The number of “probable” cases rose from 363,164 Monday to 380,022 yesterday, an increase of 16,858.
The number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Virginia increased by 95 to 13,181. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by 19 to 2,604.

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 more than 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 53 percent of Norton residents have received a second dose.

Almost 17 percent of county residents and 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.