COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the country and in Virginia – even among kids and teenagers. Dr. Noelle Bissell with the New River Health District expects people younger than 18 will make up a significant portion of cases as the surge plays out.
“I think it’s a very safe assumption to say that about 20% of our total cases any given day are going to be in our pediatric population,” she said during a call with reporters Monday. Bissell added that requiring masks in schools is a wise decision right now due to the jump in infections.
But, she said those mandates could also be adjusted or allowed to expire when case counts start to come down.
Bissell said the district has started to see an uptick in cases linked to the Delta variant.
“The Delta surge that we anticipated has reached New River Health District," she said Monday. "So, as we expected, our cases and our hospitalizations are on the rise in the region.”
Bissell says at the height of the pandemic the district recorded 100 or more cases a day. And, she thinks it’s possible this current surge could get to around 80 reported cases a day.
Bissell believes this current surge won’t last as long as previous ones.
