Lynchburg remains among state’s lowest for virus but Southwest still rising

Virus infection rates have generally flattened out in Virginia during November but that doesn’t mean they’re the same everywhere. Rates continue to rise in much of Southwest Virginia for the week ending Nov. 20, according to an analysis of federal data by The Daily Yonder, a website that covers rural issues. Seven of the 10 highest localities in Virginia are in Southwest, and an eighth — Patrick County — is on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge.

However, many of the localities with the lowest infection rates are in eastern Southside, from Mecklenburg County east into Hampton Roads. Virus rates don’t split neatly along rural/urban lines. Some of the lowest rates are also on the Northern Neck.

Meanwhile, Lynchburg still has one of the lowest rates in the state, although it’s lost its ranking as the biggest metro with a low infection rate. Norfolk is now slightly lower. For the week under consideration, neighboring Amherst County also joined the list of low-infection counties. So did Galax, which has often had some of the highest infection rates in the state.

Here are the 15 localities with the highest infection rates for the week ending Nov. 20, as measured on a cases per 100,000 basis:

1. Craig County 740.06, up from 155.9
2. Fairfax (city) 703.6, up from 645.3
3. Dickenson County 649.5, up from 377.1
4. Scott County 505.4, up from 171.6
5. Grayson County 418.0, up from 276.5
6. Russell County 398.7, up from 342.3
7. Buchanan County 390.4, up from 380.9
8. Lunenburg County 385.4, up from 205.0
9. Norton 376.8, down from 552.6
10. Patrick County 369.2, down from 391.9
11. Wise County 361.1, up from 280.9
12. Buena Vista 355.0, down from 524.9
13. Henry County 350.1, up from 235.4
14. Martinsville 318.6, down from 326.6
15. Caroline County 299.4, up from 208.3

Here are all the localities with an infection rate lower than 100 per 100,000:

1. Manassas Park 0, down from 11.4
2. Lancaster County 18.9, down from 66.0
3. Surry County 31.1, down from 62.3
4. Galax 31.5, down from 630.2
5. Poquoson 32.6, down from 40.7
6. Sussex County 35.8, unchanged
7. Brunswick County 43.1, down from 80.1
8. Greensville 44.1, down from 80.1
9. Mathews County 45.3, unchanged
10. Highland County 45.7, down from 274.0
11. Northumberland County 49.6, up from 41.3
12. Richmond County 55.4, up from 0
13. Prince Edward County 57.0, down from 70.2; Winchester, down from 71.2
14. Norfolk 58.9, up from 54.0
15. Lynchburg 59.6, up from 29.2
16. Northampton County 59.8, up from 17.1
17. Portsmouth 60.4, down from 86.9
18. Fairfax County 63.8, up from 41.8
19. Petersburg 63.9, up from 0.
20. Fredericksburg 65.4, down from 72.3
21. York County 65.9, up from 61.5
22. Hampton 66.2, down from 88.5; Middlesex County 66.2, up from 56.7
23. Suffolk 68.4, down from 77.1
24. Bath County 72.3, down from 144.7
25. Emporia 74.8, up from 0
26. Alexandria 77.2, down from 77.8
27. Newport News 77.6, up from 61.4
28. Southampton County 79.4, from up 34.0
29. Cumberland County 80.5, up from 50.3
30. Virginia Beach 82.0, unchanged
31. Montgomery County 83.2, down from 93.4
32. Albemarle County 84.1, down from 85.1; Chesapeake, 84.1, up from 79.2
33. Mecklenburg County 85.0, down from 225.6.
34. Williamsburg 86.9, up from 33.4
35. Clarke County 88.9, down from 656.7
36. Amherst County 94.9, down from 183.5
37. Henrico County 97.0, up from 75.6
38. Arlington County 97.5, up from 94.6
39. Prince George County 99.1, down from 357.2

You can look up each locality in the state on The Daily Yonder’s interactive map. Generally speaking, localities with the highest infection rates have the lowest vaccination rates and vice versa. The Virginia Department of Health has more up-to-date data here.