'High' Levels Of Community Virus Transmission In Prince William

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA — Prince William County now has high levels of community transmission of the coronavirus, according to the CDC. The CDC determines community transmission based on an area's positivity rate and cases per capita.

Across the county, coronavirus cases are soaring after reaching pandemic lows in June and July. Health department officials attributed the rise in cases to stagnating vaccination rates, relaxed mask usage, and the highly contagious nature of the virus's delta variant.

This week, the Virginia Department of Health announced that the delta variant is now the most common strain of the virus in Virginia. "The Delta variant spreads more than twice as easily as earlier strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," the department of health wrote. "The more infectious delta variant is contributing to a surge of cases in Virginia."

Prince William County is in the midst of a surge of virus cases. On July 11, there were 9 coronavirus cases in the county. On Aug. 11, that number had grown to 80 cases. It's the most cases that the county has seen since April.

M. Norman Oliver is the State Health Commissioner. "The Delta variant is here in Virginia, and it is hitting our unvaccinated population especially hard," Oliver said. "We have a very effective tool to stop transmission of COVID-19: vaccination. There is no question that COVID-19 vaccination is saving lives and preventing and reducing illness."

In Prince William County, vaccinations have slowed drastically since the end of June. In June, the county's health department was administering more than 1,500 vaccines most days. The most recent data from the health department shows about 800 vaccinations per day at the end of July.

Though fewer people are getting vaccinated, large swaths of the population remains unvaccinated. Everyone age 12 or older is eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, but only 63 percent of eligible people in Prince William County are fully vaccinated.

People aged 25-34 are among the lowest in vaccination rates. 52 percent of people in that age group are fully vaccinated. The lowest vaccination rate in the county belongs to those aged 12 to 15; 47 percent of those people are fully vaccinated.

Vaccines are still available at pharmacies around the county. The Prince William Health District also operates a mobile vaccine clinic that regularly visits underserved communities in Woodbridge, Manassas, and Dumfries. More information about where to find vaccines is available on the health district's website.