STATEWIDE — The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) launched a new dashboard to help residents track the spread of new strains of the virus that causes COVID-19.
The COVID-19 Variants of Concern Dashboard was launched April 23 in collaboration with the Department of General Services’ (DGS) Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services, according to a press release from VDH.
Variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (which caused COVID-19) have emerged and spread worldwide throughout the pandemic, and some appear to have spread from person to person more easily and may also cause more severe illness in those who are infected.
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The dashboard provides the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths caused by different strains of SARS-CoV-2 throughout Virginia. Viewers can sort the data by region or health district, and also peruse the number of infected individuals by age group, sex, and race and ethnicity.
The data provided by the dashboard is updated each Friday.
According to VDH, SARS-CoV-2 variants may be more prevalent in Virginia than the number of positive cases may suggest. Several variants of concern have been detected in Virginia.
Currently, no SARS-CoV-2 variants are resilient to standard prevention measures.
VDH recommends continuing to wear a mask, practicing social distancing, washing hands regularly and getting vaccinated.
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