County records 77 new cases, one more death

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Wise County increased by 77 between Aug. 4 and Wednesday.

The Virginia Department of Health reported Wednesday morning that the county’s total confirmed cases in the months since the pandemic began had risen to 3,487 — up from 3,410 one week earlier.
The number of Wise County COVID-19 deaths increased by one, from 105 to 106.

Statewide, the total number of confirmed cases across several months rose from 542,190 Aug. 4 to 549,561 Wednesday, an increase of 7,371. The number of “probable” cases in Virginia rose from 158,869 Aug. 4 to 163,634 Wednesday, an increase of 4,765.

During the same period, the number of confirmed deaths increased by 35 to 9,780. The number of probable COVID-19 deaths increased by five to 1,801.

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

REMINDERS

About 42 percent of Wise County residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, according to the health department.

The department announced Tuesday that it has now incorporated local data from Virginians who got vaccinated in Tennessee. Adding those numbers raised the figure for local people who have received a first dose by 1.7 percent in the health district serving Wise, Lee and Scott counties along with Norton.

Gov. Ralph Northam announced June 21 that 70 percent of Virginians 18 and older had received at least one dose.

Meanwhile, the delta variant of the virus is causing a resurgence in cases across Virginia and the nation, mostly affecting people who are not fully vaccinated.

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.