With the United States in a pandemic surge among unvaccinated people, COVID-19 cases doubled across Virginia during the past week, and they’re continuing to rise in the Three Rivers Health District, as well.

According to the weekly update from Dr. Richard Williams, Medical Director for Three Rivers, the new case rate in Virginia jumped from 336 cases per day on a seven-day average last week to 670 cases per day this week. Three Rivers had 10,222 cases as of Wednesday, an increase of 100 over last Wednesday.

Williams said that the Delta variant of the virus is now in all regions of Virginia, it’s more transmissible than other variants, and it’s specifically causing more hospitalizations and “untoward health outcomes” among younger people. Over 98 percent of the people currently hospitalized are unvaccinated, he said.

Although Virginia’s Declaration of Emergency for COVID has ended, the U.S. Health and Human Services Declaration of Emergency remains in effect, said Williams, an...