Cumberland cases increase quickly

Published 12:05 pm Tuesday, April 7, 2020

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A map of novel coronavirus cases across the commonwealth updated daily by the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) showed Cumberland County as having six confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, April 7.

The number is triple the county’s case count of two from the previous afternoon.

The jump means Cumberland is currently tied with Buckingham County as having the highest number of confirmed cases in the area. Buckingham officials were warned by the VDH last week to anticipate rapid community spread of the illness.

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Tuesday afternoon Cumberland County Administrator Don Unmussig said the health department has not given him any information on the cases. He could not confirm if the county’s spike in numbers was in any way related to Buckingham’s.

VDH reported Cumberland’s first coronavirus case April 1, identifying the patient as a 68-year-old woman.

The county has seen the quickest rise in cases in the area.

Monday morning, April 6, the Cumberland Board of Supervisors called for an emergency meeting to be scheduled Wednesday, April 8, at 2 p.m.

The meeting, to be held electronically, will be conducted to discuss, consider and take action, if appropriate, on a continuity of government ordinance to ensure the operation of local government in the face of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

As of Tuesday afternoon VDH’s website showed a total of 3,333 cases of COVID-19 in Virginia out of a total of 28,645 people tested. 563 hospitalizations have occurred in the state due to the virus. In Virginia, COVID-19 has caused 63 deaths.

VDH listed Prince Edward County as having three cases Tuesday afternoon and showed six cases for both Buckingham and Cumberland counties.

The numbers did not reflect a seventh case Buckingham County Administrator Rebecca Carter announced via a Facebook post the previous evening.