Floyd County added about 100 new COVID-19 cases this week

Confusion among shared zip codes are one cause but ignoring recommendations to get the latest booster shots is the major problem.

Floyd County reported 43 new COVID-19 cases in the daily count from 5 p.m. Wednesday, then added 50 more in the count completed at 5 p.m. Thursday. The weekly count, which will not be reported until 10 a.m. next Monday, is expected to show well over 100 new cases in a week in a county that normally reports 2-5 cases a day

Carroll County has reported more than 120 new cases in the past two days. The Virginia Department of Health, which compiles the data, has not offered an explanation of why the counts in two rural counties have jumped so much.

One explanation might be adjusted of numbers that have led to drops in case counts, even reducing numbers posted before, in areas like Montgomery, Galax, and Roanoke County. While the numbers are reduced in some communities, the overall total for the Old Dominion shows a constant increase.

One source tells us that zip codes that are shared by counties and cities contribute to “adjustments” to the final counts when some are applied to the wrong community. Others simply refer to it as a “data error.”

What is not an error is the sad fact that with a drop in those getting the recommended latest booster shots is contributing to a continuing increase in numbers.

Those who fall behind in booster shots play Russian roulette with their health and lives. Ignoring the shots is too often bringing infections and death.