Itâs been an unsettling week in Rappahannock County as COVID-19 continues its tight grip on a rural community that for months enjoyed relatively few cases of coronavirus in comparison to surrounding counties and other regions of the commonwealth.
Now, per capita, tiny Rappahannock County suddenly has more new daily cases on average than heavily populated Fairfax County. Nearby Falls Church, which has double the population (14,772) of Rappahannock County, has had only 11 more residents (123) test positive for COVID-19 than weâve experienced here.
Seemingly overnight â as in the three weeks since mid-November â an additional three dozen Rappahannock residents have tested positive for the virus. At press time Wednesday, the countyâs overall COVID-19 count stood at 112, with seven hospitalizations and two deaths.