Some 5.5 million Virginians are immunized now, according to the Virginia Department of Health, making up 64% of the population overall. And about 839,000 people, or 10% of residents, have received a third COVID-19 vaccine.

Though the late-summer surge in infections peaked and steadily declined during the homestretch of the governor’s race, COVID-19 may resurface as an issue when the political neophyte takes office Jan. 15. Infectious disease forecasters have warned of a potential sequel to last winter’s wave, perhaps rivaling its record caseload early next year.

About 670,000 residents, or 8% of the population, have received a third COVID-19 vaccine.

Public health officials say vaccinating children will limit the spread of COVID-19 and keep more students in school.

As the pandemic has evolved, children are making up a larger share of cases, with nearly one in four infections happening in people under 18. In Virginia, 134,000 children have tested positive for COVID-19, and 976 have been hospitalized with severe cases.

But Teresa Sperry's parents question how thoroughly school officials looked into it: “Every news story ends with the fact that the superintendent of Suffolk schools says nothing like this happened, which is a roundabout way of saying my daughter was lying.”

Infectious disease modelers at the University of Virginia’s Biocomplexity Institute believe expanding vaccines to young unvaccinated Virginians could be more effective at reducing caseloads than boosters. In one studied scenario, combining both strategies would have an even greater impact, potentially preventing 45,000 cases in the state by May.

Police quell reports about an active shooting at the Sentara hospital in Virginia Beach.

Sentara instituted its vaccination policy in late August, along with all Hampton Roads hospital systems but Bon Secours, with a deadline of Monday. It wasn’t immediately known Thursday what the compliance rates were for other hospital operators in the region.