HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Hampton Roads according to the Virginia Beach Department of Public Health.
“We know that because we look at a lot of things together – things like emergency room visits and waste water surveillance and those things are trending upwards,” said Dr Caitlin Pedati, Director of Virginia Beach Department of Public Health.
This comes as health officials tell News 3 that booster shots aren’t available just yet.
Watch: Health officials see an uptick in COVID cases this summer, new vaccine in September: VDH
“The new one hasn’t been reformulated,” said David Reid, pharmacy manager at the Edinburgh Chesapeake Walmart. “We should be getting that probably late August or September that we can provide those boosters to patients.”
With a new school year starting, News 3 reached out to various school districts in the area, and several responded saying they will follow guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC’s web page lists the following tips:
As part of the guidance, CDC provides active recommendations on core prevention steps and strategies:
- Staying up to date with vaccination to protect people against serious illness, hospitalization, and death. This includes flu, COVID-19, and RSV if eligible.
- Practicing good hygiene by covering coughs and sneezes, washing or sanitizing hands often, and cleaning frequently touched surfaces.
Taking steps for cleaner air, such as bringing in more fresh outside air, purifying indoor air, or gathering outdoors.
When people get sick with a respiratory virus, the updated guidance recommends that they stay home and away from others. For people with COVID-19 and influenza, treatment is available and can lessen symptoms and lower the risk of severe illness. The recommendations suggest returning to normal activities when, for at least 24 hours, symptoms are improving overall, and if a fever was present, it has been gone without use of a fever-reducing medication.
Watch: Norfolk pharmacy sees increase in demand for COVID-19 vaccine as cases trend up
A spokesperson for Newport News Public Schools says mask use will continue to be optional. They also said they will continue to offer free, at home COVID-19 test kits for all families and staff to use as needed.
For the latest from the Virginia Department of Health, click here.
Brianna Lanham contributed to this story.
