UVA institute projects post-holiday COVID rate of 14,000 per day

A new model produced by scientists at the University of Virginia shows the post-holiday rate of COVID-19 could reach 14,000 cases per day beginning in February.

Vaccines now in circulation will not be available to the general public for months and combined with holiday gatherings, the school’s Biocomplexity Institute reports virus cases shooting past their current level of 3,000 per day.

Meanwhile, the pandemic continues to ravage long-term care facilities in Southwest Virginia. Department of Health dashboard data shows more than 700 cases are spread among just five nursing homes including the highest mark of 219 at Heritage Hall in Big Stone Gap.

(IMAGE: Associated Press)