The Roanoke City-Alleghany Health Districts reported 586 new COVID-19 cases over the past week with the overall metrics holding somewhat steady.
The new cases continue to predominately affect younger segments of the population. Fifty percent are the new cases reported in persons under the age of 35. Twenty percent of the new cases are children.
The new hospitalizations due to the virus stood at 21 on Monday. Health officials continue to stress that a majority of hospitalizations and new cases are occurring in individuals who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Health officials also note that updated case counts may be lagging due to the Thanksgiving holiday, Thanksgiving significantly disrupted who got tested, how many people got tested, what labs operated and what government agencies reported on time. Some governments reported only three days of data for the last week; some reported none.
Although no cases of the Omicron variant of the virus have been reported in the U.S., health officials warn that it is just a matter of time.
Federal officials are appealing to the roughly 80 million unvaccinated Americans aged 5 and up to get their shots, and for the rest of the country to seek out booster shots six months after their second dose. People are also being encouraged to get back to wearing face masks in all indoor public settings — a pandemic precaution that has fallen out of use across much of the country.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has broadened its recommendation for COVID-19 booster shots to include all adults because of the new variant. The agency had previously approved boosters for all adults, but only recommended them for those 50 years and older or living in long-term care settings.
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