Loudoun Health Department Warns Of Rising COVID Cases

LOUDOUN COUNTY, VA — COVID-19 cases are up in Loudoun County and the rest of northern Virginia, the Loudoun Health Department said in a news release. Public health officials are encouraging Loudoun residents to continue to take precautions.

Dr. David Goodfriend is the Loudoun County Health Director. He expects the county to be in "medium" levels of community impact when the Centers for Disease Control releases its next report.

"We are beginning to see an increase in the impact of the ongoing transmission of the virus in our region, so I encourage everyone to understand your risk level,” Goodfriend said in a news release. “While healthy, fully vaccinated and boosted individuals have a lower risk associated with the upward tick in COVID-19 activity at this time, some members of our community may be more severely impacted by this trend, and those more vulnerable residents should take added precautions."

Last week, Loudoun County had 195 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents. Now, the county has 215 cases per 100,000 residents. This change would bring the county to a "medium" level of community impact, according to CDC guidelines.

In a news release, the Loudoun County health department said the recent uptick in cases could be attributed to the Omicron sub-variants and a lack of mitigation measures.

The CDC recommends the following precautions for regions with "medium" levels of community impact:

• People who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease should consult their healthcare provider and consider taking additional precautions, such as wearing masks and social distancing. Residents should also consider self-testing to detect infection before having contact with people who are at high risk of severe disease.
• Get fully vaccinated and boosted, if eligible.
• Information about who is eligible for boosters and booster recommendations is posted on the CDC website.
• To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider, visit vaccines.gov.
• Follow CDC recommendations for isolation and quarantine, including getting tested if you are exposed to COVID-19 or have symptoms of COVID-19.