Health officials feared that COVID-19 cases would surge after the Thanksgiving holiday. And that appears to be happening.
The Roanoke City-Alleghany Health District reported 1,767 active COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday morning. That’s about 350 more than a week earlier. And with more holidays in the weeks ahead, health officials like Dr. Cynthia Morrow are worried. "If people can just hunker down for the next few weeks and help us get through what is a really challenging, probably the most challenging period of this pandemic, we will all be better off."
Health departments statewide are having to prioritize their contact tracing efforts. That means some people who test positive may not get any contact from the health department. "Because of our strapped resources, because of the extent of activity in the community we cannot get to everybody in the timeframe that is best for our community," Morrow told a weekly conference call with reporters Tuesday. Morrow is director of the Roanoke City-Alleghany Health District.
Morrow said people who do test positive should reach out to their close contacts as soon as possible. And if you do get one of those calls from a friend or co-worker or relative, take it seriously and quarantine. "It’s not really a question of authority," Morrow said. "All of us at this point know that if we’re exposed to COVID-19, if we’re a close contact of someone who has COVID-19, the best thing for ourselves and for our community is stay home for 14 days."
Morrow said individuals can follow up with the health department to confirm the information if they believe it’s necessary.
The number of Roanoke-area residents hospitalized because of COVID-19 has hovered around 70 for the last few weeks. That tally was 67 as of Tuesday morning. Six additional deaths in the health district were confirmed over the past week.
The number of outbreaks in the district also remained relatively steady at 27. More than half of the ongoing outbreaks are in long term care facilities, according to health department data.
Ballad Health Sets New Record for COVID-19 Hospitalizations
Ballad Health, which serves the southwest corner of Virginia and northeast Tennessee, reported a new high for hospitalized COVID-19 patients Tuesday: 290. The hospital system suspended elective and non-emergent procedures as of Monday.
Also Tuesday, the positivity rate in Ballad's 21-county service area hit 25.1%.