Virus rates decline but still highest west of the Blue Ridge

COVID-19 infection rates are declining almost everywhere, although Southwest and Southside Virginia still have the highest rates in the state, now joined by some counties on the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula, according to federal data analyzed by The Daily Yonder. The nine highest localities — and 13 of the 14 highest — are all west of the Blue Ridge.

Here are the 20 localities in the stat with the highest infection rates for the week ending Oct. 16. Rates are given on a cases per 100,000 basis.

1. Waynesboro, 883.8, up from 353.5
2. Buena Vista, 833.6, up from 741.0
3. Smyth County, 614.9, down from 803.9.
4. Galax, 567.2, up from 283.6
5. Bath County, 554.6, up from 289.4
6. Scott County, 542.5, down from 551.8
7. Wise County, 438.7, down from 540.4
8. Shenandoah County, 433.3, down from 458.6
9. Norton, 427.0, down from 728.5
10. Essex County, 383.5, up from 273.9
11. Buchanan County, 376.1, unchanged
12. Russell County, 376.1, down from 545.4
13. Carroll County, 365.9, down from 392.7
14. Dickenson County, 349.2, down from 509.9
15. Richmond County, 343.6, down from 454.4
16. Halifax County, 321.4, down from 365.7
17. Wythe County, 320.7, down from 477.6
18. Pittsylvania County, 311.5, down from 377.8
19. Surry County, 311.4, up from 171.3
20. Franklin (city), 301.2, down from 753.1

Rates are down across Southwest and Southside, although they’re still going up in Amelia County, Bath County, Galax and Grayson County. The Daily Yonder has an interactive map where you can look up the figures for each locality and compare them to others around the country. You can also visit the Virginia Department of Health’s covid dashboard, which has vaccination rates for each locality. Generally speaking, the highest infection rates are where vaccination rates are lowest, and vice versa.

For the week ending August 6, the lowest infection rates in Virginia are in these localities:

1. Manassas Park 11.4, down from 17.2
2. Fairfax (city), 20.8, up from 16.7
3. Augusta County, 63.5, down from 487.0
4. Lancaster County, 75.5, down from 188.6
5. Fairfax County, 79.2, down from 87.9
6. Loudoun County, 87.3, down from 92.4
7. Mathews County, 90.6, down from 215.1
8. Arlington County, 92.5, down from 104.3