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Another COVID-19 record was set on Mondayâthe highest number of new cases reported in the Rappahannock Area Health District in a single day. An additional 313 people had tested positive for the virus, as of Mondayâs report, eclipsing the previous record of 231 new cases in a single day set on Dec. 7. Part of the spike was due to a backlog of cases from late last week, but all evidence points to a high level of community transmission, said Allison BalmesâJohn, district spokesperson. For the last week, the district has averaged 143 new cases each day, and its positivity rate, which measures the number of positive tests among all those taken, is 12.3 percent, higher than the stateâs rate of 11.4 percent. ....
Chills, body aches and low-grade fevers are never pleasant, but in the case of the COVID-19 vaccine, those ailments may be a good thing. People may develop mild flu-like symptoms, particularly after the second dose of the two-part vaccine, according to state and local health officials. They caution the aches and pains donât mean the person is getting the virus or having a reaction to the vaccine. Instead, they indicate the body is stepping up its defenses to build immunity against COVID-19. âMost of the symptoms are from the immune response, which is a good thing because it means youâre mounting a response,â said Dr. Christopher Newman, chief medical officer of Mary Washington Healthcare. ....
When there are big increases in new COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths tend to follow, and the Rappahannock Area Health District seems to have entered that more serious phase with the recent surge, according to spokesperson Allison BalmesâJohn. Five new deaths have been reported this weekâtwo on Tuesday and three on Wednesdayâbringing the local toll to 106 people who have died from the virus since March. The deaths reported so far this weekâand health officials believe another one will be listed on the state website on Thursdayâinvolve every locality in the district except Caroline County. Only one of the people who died was a resident of a long-term care facility. ....
As those on the front lines of COVID-19 wait for the newly approved vaccine, the Rappahannock Area Health District topped the 10,000-mark in virus cases on Monday. Another 220 people tested positive in Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford, as of Mondayâs report from the Virginia Department of Health. The increase covered two days because a reporting problem on Sunday resulted in no new local cases posted on the state website. Mary Washington Healthcare, which operates Mary Washington Hospital and Stafford Hospital, plans to roll out the Pfizer vaccination Tuesday afternoon, said marketing director Lisa Henry. ....