The numbers of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to fall across Virginia, with slightly less dramatic drops in Northern Virginia, although cases in the region never rose as much as they did elsewhere in the state, according to new data Friday.

Even though COVID-19 cases continue to fall across Northern Virginia and the state, the Delta variant has triggered significant new outbreaks in four public schools and three nursing homes or assisted-living communities across the region, the Virginia Department of Health reported Friday.   

A resolution regarding the Culpeper County Board of Supervisors's intention not to fund non-governmental entities that imposed COVID-19 vaccine or testing mandates failed due to the lack of a second during a meeting Tuesday.

The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday will consider adopting a resolution to cease funding for non-governmental entities that impose COVID-19 vaccine or testing mandates.

The surge of the Delta variant of COVID-19 is noticeably waning in Northern Virginia and the rest of the state, according to new data from the Virginia Department of Health. 

The numbers of students and staff quarantined in Rappahannock County Public Schools surged last week after just a few student cases of the virus resulted in more than two dozen new close contacts who were required to stay home.

Rappahannock County residents who meet certain criteria may now get a COVID-19 booster shot. Details from a news release from the Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District:In accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Virginia D…

Virginia is preparing to vaccinate children against COVID-19 in schools as soon as the Pfizer shot is approved for those between ages 5 and 11, Gov. Ralph Northam said Monday. 

New COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have started trending downward again in Northern Virginia and statewide, although they still remain well above 2020 levels. 

Last month, Gov. Ralph Northam gave state employees a choice: get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing for COVID-19. Many, it appears, have chosen testing.

The number of patients being treated statewide for COVID-19 in intensive-care units hit a record high Friday, as deaths from the virus also increased sharply this week and the Delta variant surge has not yet abated. 

Virginians can now verify their COVID-19 vaccination status with QR codes available on the Virginia Department of Health's website.

The Virginia Department of Health’s Rappahannock-Rapidan Health District (RRHD) is hosting a flu and COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Rappahannock Elementary School on Thursday, Sept. 16, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Virginia reported its 800,000th COVID-19 case on Friday, as over 2,000 residents are hospitalized statewide for treatment of the virus for the first time since mid-February, according to new data Friday. 

Additional county resident hospitalized

Schools launch dashboard showing cases, quarantines

Northern Virginia recorded its 200,000th COVID-19 case on Friday, although the region continues to fare better than the rest of the state during the latest surge, which may be starting to level off, according to new data.

Due to the current spread of COVID-19 in Virginia, the Fauquier Free Clinic is saddened to announce the postponement of Piedmont Smiles, a regional free community dental day, to 2022, the organization said in a news release Wednesday.

Virginia is now experiencing a significant increase in the number of deaths related to COVID-19 as all indicators of the spread of the virus continue to soar across the state, according to new data Friday.

Nearly 5,000 Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (REC) member-owners face the possibility of disconnection of service unless they set up a payment arrangement. As the Cooperative begins transitioning to normal billing and payment processes on Sept. 1, it wants to work with members to establish…

With COVID-19 cases surging across state, hospitals in Prince William County say they are requiring employees to be fully vaccinated.UVA Health and Sentara Healthcare both made the vaccine announcement Wednesday as COVID-19 continue to rise.The new policy at UVA Health, which operates hospitals in Manassas, Haymarket and Culpeper, will require employees to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18.“These vaccines will save lives, prevent unnecessary sickness and help us ensure we have the capacity to provide the best care possible not just for patients with COVID-19 but for all patients,” said K. Craig Kent, MD, UVA’s executive vice president for health affairs. “It is part of our duty as a leading academic medical center to protect the health of our patients, guests, team members and community.”Anyone who remains unvaccinated on Nov. 1 will face disciplinary action, including the possibility of termination, UVA Health said.Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center in Woodbridge said it has also expanded its vaccination policies to include the expectation that all team members and medical staff members will be fully  vaccinated against COVID 19 by Oct. 18."As the community's front-line defense against COVID-19, Sentara believes it has a moral and ethical responsibility to protect the health of its team members, patients, residents and communities through a vaccination requirement," the hospital said in a news release.

The Virginia Department of Health has resumed reporting details of some outbreaks of COVID-19 after pulling the information from its dashboard about two months ago. 

Rappahannock County High School switched to virtual learning Monday, Aug. 23, and the preschool will be quarantined until Aug. 30 as more students test positive for COVID-19.

In a special meeting on Monday, the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors went over potential needs in the county that can be funded by federal COVID-19 relief dollars received from the American Rescue Plan, but no decisions were made on where the money should go.

The staffer was last on school grounds Friday before developing symptoms and receiving a positive test sometime over the weekend, according to a news release from the schools.

Dr. Danny Avula, Virginia's vaccine coordinator, said the state's health districts and pharmacies will be ready to roll out third doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines as soon as September.

The number of Virginians hospitalized with COVID-19 is now essentially the same as it was a year ago, when no vaccine was available for the virus, as cases continue to rise across the state and in Northern Virginia. 

A student at Rappahannock County High School tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, marking the first reported student case of the virus on the high school campus and bringing the school system's total case count to five.

Rappahannock County Elementary School temporarily shifted to virtual learning on Tuesday to conduct contact tracing in what the district described as an “overabundance of caution” after another student tested positive for COVID-19.

A year ago, Shannon Grimsley was facing the unfathomable. Another school year was about to begin, but one under the perilous cloud of COVID. Could she, as superintendent of Rappahannock County Public Schools (RCPS), and her teachers and staff keep kids safe in the midst of a pandemic?

Masks will be indefinitely mandated inside Rappahannock County Public Schools starting on Friday for students, staff and visitors after the state on Thursday passed down an order requiring them in all K-12 settings.

COVID-19 cases are rising precipitously statewide as the highly infectious delta variant rips through unvaccinated populations, leading public health officials, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to recommend that Rappahannock County residents should strongly consider dusting off their masks.

The Rappahannock County School Board on Wednesday at a special meeting held in the elementary school gymnasium opted to not mandate universal masking in classrooms for the upcoming school year, instead maintaining its previously established stance of strongly recommending the practice.

"As we continue to evaluate the situation of COVID-19, and the confirmed number of cases that are on the rise in our communities, Fauquier Health has decided to move back to a more limited-visitation policy. It is our priority first and foremost to ensure the protection and safety of our pat…

The number of new COVID-19 cases in Northern Virginia and statewide continues to soar above last summer's numbers, and hospitalizations increased significantly this week, too, according to new data released Friday. 

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Thursday issued a mandate to state workers -- show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 1 or undergo weekly testing.

In both Northern Virginia and the state as a whole, the COVID-19 pandemic is now worse than it was on the same date in 2020, based on the number of new cases reported. 

New COVID-19 cases in Northern Virginia and statewide are nearly at the same levels as seen a year ago - before vaccines were available - and a new model projects that cases statewide could exceed January's peak by mid-September.