RICHMOND, Va. — The localities in Virginia ranked as medium have nearly doubled since last week and now include many cities and counties in Central Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The update comes as new cases in Virginia increased 25% this week and 73.5% of Virginians are fully vaccinated against the virus, according to the Virginia Department of Health. COVID cases in the U.S. increased 30% from the prior week, and 82.5% of the country's total population (people 5+) has received at least one vaccine dose, the CDC reported in its weekly update.
The agency released an updated map Thursday, May 12 with county-by-county color designations to indicate whether residents should wear masks or not.
"There are three levels (low, medium, high), which are determined by looking at hospital beds being used by patients with COVID-19, new hospital admissions among people with COVID-19, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in your area," CDC officials wrote.
IN-DEPTH:New COVID cases in Virginia jumped 25% this week; 73.5% of Virginians now fully vaccinated
Parts of Metro Richmond ranked as medium now include Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Hanover, Henrico, Hopewell, Petersburg, Powhatan and Prince George. Of those localities, only Prince George ranked as medium last week. This is thefirst time some of these localities have ranked as medium since the CDC launched the new measures, which focus less on positive test results and more on what's happening at hospitals, in late February.
People in areas ranked as low, medium do not need to wear masks, according to the CDC. But those at high risk for severe illness are urged to talk to their healthcare provider about whether to wear a mask and take other precautions.
There are no localities in Virginia ranked as as high where masking indoors is recommended by the CDC.
These CDC measures focus less on positive test results and more on what’s happening at hospitals.
Scroll down for a complete alphabetized list city/county-by-county breakdown of localities in Virginia
High Community Level
- Wear a mask indoors in public
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- Additional precautions may be needed for people at high risk for severe illness
- No Virginia localities; no change from last week
Medium Community Level
- If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- 30 Virginia localities this week; up from 16 localities last week
Albemarle (ranked low last week)
Alexandria (no change from last week)
Arlington (no change from last week)
Augusta (ranked low last week)
Bedford (ranked low last week)
Charles City (ranked low last week)
Charlottesville (no change from last week)
Chesterfield (ranked low last week)
Covington (no change from last week)
Dinwiddie (ranked low last week)
Fairfax County (no change from last week)
Falls Church (no change from last week)
Fredericksburg (ranked low last week)
Greene (ranked low last week)
Halifax (ranked low last week)
Hanover (ranked low last week)
Henrico (ranked low last week)
Highland (no change from last week)
Hopewell (ranked low last week)
James City (no change from last week)
Loudoun (ranked low last week)
Montgomery (ranked low last week)
Nottoway (ranked low last week)
Petersburg (ranked low last week)
Powhatan (ranked low last week)
Prince George (no change from last week)
Stafford (ranked low last week)
Staunton (ranked low last week)
Surry (ranked low last week)
Sussex (ranked low last week)
Low Community Level
- Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines
- Get tested if you have symptoms
- 103 Virginia localities this week; down from 117 localities last week
Accomack
Alleghany
Amelia
Amherst
Appomattox
Bath
Bland
Botetourt
Bristol
Brunswick
Buchanan
Buckingham
Buena Vista
Campbell (ranked medium last week)
Caroline (ranked medium last week)
Carroll
Charlotte
Chesapeake
Clarke
Colonial Heights
Craig
Culpeper
Cumberland
Danville
Dickenson
Emporia
Essex
Fairfax City
Fauquier
Floyd
Fluvanna
Franklin City
Franklin County
Frederick
Galax
Giles
Gloucester
Goochland
Grayson
Greensville
Hampton (ranked medium last week)
Harrisonburg
Henry (ranked medium last week)
Isle of Wight
King and Queen
King George
King William
Lancaster
Lee
Lexington
Louisa
Lunenburg
Lynchburg
Madison
Manassas
Manassas Park
Martinsville (ranked medium last week)
Mathews (ranked medium last week)
Mecklenburg
Middlesex
Nelson
New Kent
Newport News
Norfolk
Northampton
Northumberland
Norton
Orange
Page
Patrick
Pittsylvania
Poquoson
Portsmouth
Prince Edward
Prince William
Pulaski
Radford
Rappahannock
Richmond City
Richmond County
Roanoke City
Roanoke County
Rockbridge
Rockingham
Russell
Salem
Scott (ranked medium last week)
Shenandoah
Smyth
Southampton
Spotsylvania
Suffolk
Tazewell
Virginia Beach
Warren
Washington
Waynesboro
Westmoreland
Williamsburg
Winchester
Wise
Wythe
York
RELATED: County-by-county look at COVID-19 cases in Virginia; which areas saw most cases last week
Full Virginia City/County-by-County Breakdown
Accomack Low
Albemarle Medium
Alexandria Medium
Alleghany Low
Amelia Low
Amherst Low
Appomattox Low
Arlington Medium
Augusta Medium
Bath Low
Bedford Medium
Bland Low
Botetourt Low
Bristol Low
Brunswick Low
Buchanan Low
Buckingham Low
Buena Vista Low
Campbell Low
Caroline Low
Carroll Low
Charles City Medium
Charlotte Low
Charlottesville Medium
Chesapeake Low
Chesterfield Medium
Clarke Low
Colonial Heights Low
Covington Medium
Craig Low
Culpeper Low
Cumberland Low
Danville Low
Dickenson Low
Dinwiddie Medium
Emporia Low
Essex Low
Fairfax City Low
Fairfax County Medium
Falls Church Medium
Fauquier Low
Floyd Low
Fluvanna Low
Franklin City Low
Franklin County Low
Frederick Low
Fredericksburg Medium
Galax Low
Giles Low
Gloucester Low
Goochland Low
Grayson Low
Greene Medium
Greensville Low
Halifax Medium
Hampton Low
Hanover Medium
Harrisonburg Low
Henrico Medium
Henry Low
Highland Medium
Hopewell Medium
Isle of Wight Low
James City Medium
King and Queen Low
King George Low
King William Low
Lancaster Low
Lee Low
Lexington Low
Loudoun Medium
Louisa Low
Lunenburg Low
Lynchburg Low
Madison Low
Manassas Low
Manassas Park Low
Martinsville Low
Mathews Low
Mecklenburg Low
Middlesex Low
Montgomery Medium
Nelson Low
New Kent Low
Newport News Low
Norfolk Low
Northampton Low
Northumberland Low
Norton Low
Nottoway Medium
Orange Low
Page Low
Patrick Low
Petersburg Medium
Pittsylvania Low
Poquoson Low
Portsmouth Low
Powhatan Medium
Prince Edward Low
Prince George Medium
Prince William Low
Pulaski Low
Radford Low
Rappahannock Low
Richmond City Low
Richmond County Low
Roanoke City Low
Roanoke County Low
Rockbridge Low
Rockingham Low
Russell Low
Salem Low
Scott Low
Shenandoah Low
Smyth Low
Southampton Low
Spotsylvania Low
Stafford Medium
Staunton Medium
Suffolk Low
Surry Medium
Sussex Medium
Tazewell Low
Virginia Beach Low
Warren Low
Washington Low
Waynesboro Low
Westmoreland Low
Williamsburg Low
Winchester Low
Wise Low
Wythe Low
York Low
Virginians age 5+ are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine. Go to Vaccine Finderto search for specific vaccines available near you or call 877-VAX-IN-VA (877-275-8343).
Have You Been Fully Vaccinated?
People are considered fully vaccinated:
- 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or
- 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine
How to Protect Yourself and Others When You’ve Been Fully Vaccinated
COVID-19 vaccines are effective at protecting you from getting sick. Based on what we know about COVID-19 vaccines, people who have been fully vaccinated can start to do some things that they had stopped doing because of the pandemic.
We’re still learning how vaccines will affect the spread of COVID-19. After you’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you should keep taking precautions—like wearing a mask, staying 6 feet apart from others, and avoiding crowds and poorly ventilated spaces—in public places until we know more.
These recommendations can help you make decisions about daily activities after you are fully vaccinated. They are not intended for healthcare settings.
Click here for more information from the Virginia Department of Health.