U.S. COVID-19 case rate up slightly

(Editor’s note: As of Monday, the Virginia Department of Public Health reported 1,826 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Middlesex County. There were 44 Middlesex patient COVID-19-related hospitalizations and 46 deaths involving Middlesex residents. The Virginia Department of Public Health cautions that because of limited testing, the actual number of cases in Middlesex County is likely higher than reported.)

The BA.2 sub-lineage of the omicron variant is the dominant COVID-19 variant worldwide, and is dominant now in the United States as well. In the region spanning Virginia, BA.2 makes up more than 60% of circulating COVID-19 viruses. The BA.2 variant appears to pose about the same risk of vaccine/immunity evasion and severe disease as the BA.1 variant. Pandemic modeling suggests the BA.2 variant may slow the decline of COVID-19 cases or cause modest increases of COVID-19 cases in the United States in the coming weeks. We have not seen significant surges of BA.2 at this point.

Vaccination remains our most powerful tool to limit COVID-19 infection and severe disease.

Please visit http://vaccinate.virginia.gov or call 1-877-VAX-IN-VA to find COVID-19 vaccination opportunities near you. Appointment opportunities in Three Rivers Health District vaccination clinics are available at the Three Rivers Health District website: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/three-rivers/.