CDC puts all of Tri-City area on 'High' for COVID-19 community levels

PETERSBURG − If you live in Petersburg or for that matter anywhere in the Tri-City area, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a suggestion for you: wear a mask because COVID-19 still has not gone away.

A map released last week by CDC put Petersburg at the "High" community level for localities across Virginia, based on hospital admissions and bedspace, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases. As of Monday, the Virginia Department of Health reported 12 new cases in the previous 24 hours.

VDH's data for Petersburg shows a recent peak of 39 cases on July 29, followed by 30 cases on Aug. 3 and 27 on Aug. 5.

Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, Petersburg has recorded 8,890 virus cases, with 127 deaths. Throughout the Tri-City area, only Prince George County has reported more cases, at 9,803. However, Prince George's deaths are far lower than Petersburg at 79.

In communities declared to be at a high level, CDC recommends:

• wear masks inside public areas;
• stay updated on COVID-19 vaccines; and
• test if you show symptoms of COVID, especially if you are at a high risk for severe illnesses.

Also on Monday, VDH reported Hopewell and Colonial Heights each with 11 new cases over 24 hours, Prince George with seven, and Dinwiddie with two. Since the pandemic, VDH has recorded 6,733 cases and 113 deaths, Dinwiddie with 6,071 cases and 93 deaths, and Colonial Heights with 5,533 cases and 80 deaths.

Across Virginia, a total of 65 localities have been flagged by CDC with High community levels, including all of metro Richmond.

To track CDC's community level for your locality, click here. To see the latest COVID data from VDH, click here.