Martinsville-region COVID-19/coronavirus daily update from state, nation and world: Aug. 15 | Local News

August 15, 2020 steven

There is a new death from COVID-19 in Patrick County. This fact was included in the morning’s update from the Virginia Department of Health. No details have been released by the West Piedmont Health District. That’s five deaths now in the county, one of the last in Virginia to have a positive test for the coronavirus. The county has had 176 cases now. Blue Ridge Therapy Connection, a senior-care facility at Stuart, had the recent large outbreak that sparked the rise of cases in the county. Across the district Saturday there were 19 new cases and one new hospitalization — that also in Patrick County. Twelve of those new cases were in Henry County. U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith spoke to leaders in Martinsville on Friday, and he talked about the idea of the U.S. Postal Service and how it might be used in the 2020 election because so many want to avoid polling places because of the pandemic. He said President Trump’s comments made him cringe. Meanwhile, health experts say in new guidance from the CDC for pediatricians that children make up more than 7% of all coronavirus cases in the U.S., and the rate of child cases has been “steadily increasing” since March. Back-to-school discussions continue in many states, most recently in Michigan. The Virginia Department of Health reports this morning there have been 105,750 cases and 2,381 deaths statewide — an increase of 11. Some 8,701 people have been hospitalized. Henry County has had 672 cases, with 73 hospitalizations and 9 deaths. Martinsville has had 240 cases, with 38 hospitalizations and 3 deaths. Patrick County has had 176 cases including 36 hospitalizations and 5 deaths. Franklin County has had 182 cases, 8 hospitalizations and 1 death. Danville has reported 451 cases, and Pittsylvania County has had 560. Johns Hopkins University’s real-time map showed 21,250,743 cases worldwide and 766,648 deaths. In the U.S. there are 5,314,814. There have been 168,462 deaths in the U.S. because of COVID-19.