Health experts in the Roanoke region and other parts of southwest Virginia are watching a steady increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.
Cases of COVID-19 have increased by more than 50 each of the last two weeks in the health district that covers the Roanoke Valley and Alleghany Highlands. "It’s not a surge," says Dr. Thomas Kerkering. "But it is steadily increasing." Kerkering is an infectious disease expert with Carilion Clinic in Roanoke and spoke to reporters during a weekly conference call organized by the Roanoke-Alleghany Health District.
Officials with the Roanoke-Alleghany Health District say nine of the 12 active outbreaks in the district are at workplaces and restaurants. The increase comes as restrictions on businesses and gatherings are being loosened and people may be trying to move too quickly back to normal. "It worries me that people are not masking as they should," Kerkering said, "and I do see groups of people standing around talking and they’re obviously closer than six feet to each other and they’re not wearing masks."
Health officials in the Martinsville region expressed similar concerns Monday, according to the Martinsville Bulletin. Cases in the West Piedmont Health District have more than tripled since mid-May. In the Mount Rogers Health District, which includes the Bristol and Galax areas, cases have roughly doubled over the same period.
Doctor Molly O'Dell with the Roanoke-Alleghany Health District, noted that much of southwest Virginia was under a stay-at-home order before there were any cases in the region. So that held the virus in check until restrictions began to be loosened.
O'Dell and Kerkering both noted significant outbreaks in the Hispanic community. In the Roanoke-Alleghany District, about 25% of COVID-19 cases identify as Hispanic. That far outpaces the district's total Hispanic population which, according to census data, is in the low single digits. State health commissioner Norm Oliver said Tuesday that statewide about 50% of patients identify as Hispanic or Latinx.
That’s created a challenge in reaching the community with Spanish-language health information. And it’s also created a huge need for potential contact tracers with bilingual skills, according to O’Dell. "We told the state that if they screen them we only want bilingual assignments," she noted.
