A COVID-19 update from the New River Valley Public Health Task Force reveals that the New River Valley is, in the task force’s words, “crushing” the coronavirus with far fewer cases than have been previously projected.
Data from the Monday update released by the New River Valley Health District show that since March 2020 the district has experienced 2,970 coronavirus cases resulting in 53 hospitalizations and 14 deaths.
The breakdown has 193 cases in Floyd County with ten hospitalizations and five deaths. For Giles County, the numbers are 84 cases, two hospitalizations and zero deaths. With its larger populations, Montgomery County has suffered 1,760 cases requiring 20 hospitalizations with four deaths. Pulaski County has recorded 217 cases with 14 hospitalizations and four deaths.
Radford City has seen 716 cases with seven hospitalizations and one death.
According to the task force’s report, as of Monday, there were 14 COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized and four other persons under investigation.
The good news that has led the task force to declare the New River Valley is “crushing” the virus is that current statistics reveal that for the week ending Sept. 20, the health district experienced more than a thousand fewer confirmed cases of the coronavirus than was originally predicted by a University of Virginia model. That number soared from the week ending Sept. 13 when the district reported 535 fewer cases than expected.
“The lower actual case numbers show the continuing success of the New River Valley community in suppressing the spread of COVID-19,” the update said.
The New River Valley Health District is composed of the Counties of Floyd, Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski and the City of Radford. District offices are in the Montgomery County Health Department, 210 S. Pepper St., Christiansburg.
