PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The number of reported COVID-19 cases is rising in Virginia.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) reported 5,972 new coronavirus cases in the Commonwealth, which is the highest mark since late January.
“Mother Nature here has brought on a new variant that is just more easily spread than the prior one," said Droctor Parham Jaberi, the VDH Chief Deputy Commissioner.
With the new, fast paced Omicron variant, Jaberi compared COVID levels to the summer months, and he expects numbers will likely go up over the next several weeks.
Jaberi also attributes cooler climates and people spending more time indoors as likely factors that lead to more COVID-19 infections.
“I think what we should expect as a community is for those numbers to increase very quickly," Jaberi said.
However, the rate of vaccinations can have an impact on the spread as well.
In Virginia, 76.5% of the statewide population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 1.8 million Virginians have received a booster shot, according to the VDH website.
“The concerning point [is that] there is individuals who have been vaccinated [and] are getting sick with that variant," Jaberi said.
Jaberi doesn’t want Virginians to panic, but he encourages precautions, including masking, getting vaccinated and getting tested when need be.
With a few days to go until Christmas, Virginians are rushing to get tested and vaccinated before spending time with family.
‘We've given out over 500 tests in two weeks," said Rachel Enrich, the manager of the Portsmouth Public Library main branch.
Several Hampton Roads libraries are working with VDH to provide at-home COVID testing kits.
Officials at library systems in Hampton, Williamsburg and Portsmouth say they are out of tests as of Wednesday.
Since Monday, Enrich said the Portsmouth Public Library system has distributed 150 tests by way of curbside pickup.
In Williamsburg, the library system received a shipment of 1,000 tests last Friday. They were gone by Saturday morning, as demand cranked up ahead of the holiday.
Suffolk Public Library has a limited supply of tests at their Chuckatuck location.
Officials at each of the library systems said they've ordered new shipments of the at-home tests.
But it is unclear when VDH will deliver them, and starting Thursday, public libraries will close for the holidays until Monday, December 27.
Anyone in the area interested in free at-home COVID-19 tests when they become available should follow the websites of Hampton, Suffolk, Portsmouth and Williamsburg public libraries.