New COVID-19 cases rising again in Henrico

New COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Henrico, following a steady three-month decline.

Average new daily cases in the county have been rising for the past week – from 36 Nov. 16 to 52 Monday, according to Virginia Department of Health data  – and have pushed Henrico back into the "high" transmission level after two weeks in the "substantial" level. The county has witnessed three days since Nov. 17 with more than 50 new cases, after having experienced only three such days in the previous three and a half weeks.

The "high" transmission level is the highest of four created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to illustrate the risk of contracting the virus in a given area. The CDC advises wearing masks indoors in areas with substantial or high transmission levels.

New case counts in Henrico typically fall during weekends and Mondays, as the result of lower testing levels during the weekend, but the county’s new case counts Saturday, Sunday and Monday (47, 58 and 46) were the most during a Saturday-to-Monday period in a month.

The VDH has reported four new virus-related deaths in Henrico since Friday, but the county is averaging just one new hospitalization per day attributed to COVID during the past seven days.

Henrico’s seven-day positivity percentage among PCR testing encounters (5%) and rapid testing encounters (4.5%) remain below the statewide averages of 5.9% and 6.2%, respectively. But, both totals in the county have been rising during the past two weeks or so even though the average number of daily testing encounters has remained relatively level (between about 800 and 870 per day for PCR tests and between about 450 and 500 per day for rapid tests).

The number of Henrico children ages 5 to 11 who have received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine has grown to 5,255 as of Monday – 18.5% of all children in the county in that age range and just below the statewide average of 18.7% for that group.

Almost 70% of all county residents now have received at least one dose of vaccine, and 62.2% are fully vaccinated, according to the VDH. Just more than 18% of adults in Henrico have received their booster shots.

The FDA and CDC Friday announced new eligibility standards for booster shots among those 18 and older:

• anyone who received Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines qualifies beginning six months after their second dose;

• anyone who received a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine qualifies two months after their first dose.

There are many booster shot opportunities available locally – by walk-up and appointment at pharmacies, medical offices and at Richmond and Henrico Health Districts events, including those at the Arthur Ashe Center on Ashe Boulevard, next to The Diamond in Richmond.

"The new guidance not only qualifies more people to receive the vaccine, but also makes it easier to understand whether or not you qualify," said Dr. Melissa Viray, deputy director of the RHHD. "There are many places that offer vaccines for 5-11 year olds and adults in the same place. . . you can get the whole family vaccinated at the same time!"

To view vaccination and booster shot opportunities locally, visit vax.rchd.com or call (804) 205-3501. For opportunities statewide, visit vaccinate.virginia.gov. Most clinics have all types of COVID-19 vaccines available, but officials advise that you check to make sure.