It seemed a little like COVID-19 took a break for Christmas in the Old Dominion Friday with a listing of new infections cut by more than half after six days of 4,000-plus tallies with records set two days in a row but officials warn that the count could also be just a delay in reporting new cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
Still, the daily report of new infections from the Virginia Department of Health released Saturday morning was 1,584, less than half the 4,078 reported the day before.
Deaths dropped to just 20 daily in Virginia with 14 new hospitalizations.
In Floyd County, the count was just one new infection after a month of double-digit increases several times.
Still, health officials worry about another spike in cases aster the Christmas holidays where a record number of people traveled to visit family and friends and risked a spike higher than the post-Thanksgiving numbers.
Worldwide, infections topped 80 million overnight with 1,759,534 deaths, World Meter reported shortly after 9 a.m. EST.
The United States death toll was 338,263.
In Southwestern Virginia, the Roanoke Valley had 57 new cases in the VDH report, which was posted after 5 p.m. on Christmas Day with 182 total deaths in Roanoke City, county, and Salem.
Montgomery County’s counts, including the city of Radford, has a death toll of 43 since the pandemic began with 6,459 cases overall.
With more vials of vaccine arriving next week, infections of the general population are expected to begin after the first of the year but it will take months before all of those who are willing to accept the shots can be innoculated.
As we approach a new year, the pandemic is far from over.
TOTALS as of Saturday morning at 9:30 am.:
Worldwide:
Infections: 80,296,229
Deaths: 1,759,534
Recoveries: 56,581,140
United States:
Infections: 19,210,480
Deaths: 338,263
Recoveries: 11,260,223
(World and the U.S. count provided by World Meter.)
(State and locality count below provided by the Virginia Department of Health.)
Virginia:
Infections: 329,577 (+1,584)
Hospitalized: 17,464 (+14)
Deaths: 4,820 (+20)
Floyd County:
Infections: 483 (+1)
Hospitalized: 18
Deaths: 17
Montgomery County:
Infections: 5,012 (+13)
Hospitalized: 105
Deaths: 36 (+1)
Radford:
Infections: 1,447 (+2)
Hospitalized: 28
Deaths: 7
Carroll County
Infections: 1,431
Hospitalized: 99
Deaths: 35
Galax:
Infections: 774
Hospitalized: 59 (+1)
Deaths: 32
Giles County:
Infections: 532
Hospitalized: 21
Deaths: 2
Pulaski County
Infections: 1,354 (+1)
Hospitalized: 66
Deaths: 31
Franklin County:
Infections: 2,255 (+11)
Hospitalized: 77
Deaths: 22
Roanoke:
Infections: 5,067 (+5)
Hospitalized: 141 (+2)
Deaths: 93 (+5)
Roanoke County:
Infections: 4,444 (+40)
Hospitalized: 94
Deaths: 63 (+3)
Salem:
Infections: 1,119 (+12)
Hospitalized: 35
Deaths: 26
Patrick County:
Infections: 715 (+5)
Hospitalized: 72
Deaths: 28
(Information obtained from the Center for Disease Control, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the World Health Organization, World meter, and the Virginia Department of Health.)