COVID

It's time to mask up again, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

What's happening: All of metro Richmond, and most of central Virginia, is experiencing high community spread of COVID-19, according to weekly community levels calculated by the CDC using hospitalization data.

Yet another wave of viral illness — flu — is crashing on a health system already stretched to a breaking point by COVID-19 and, more recently, RSV.

Why it matters: The commonwealth surpassed last year’s peak a full two months before flu season typically begins, per the Virginia Department of Health.

COVID-19 is making a comeback just in time to plague the holiday party circuit.

What's happening: Hospitalizations in Virginia were up 40% last week, per the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association.

A surprising increase in respiratory illnesses in children is putting pressure on hospitals around the state.

Why it matters: The early onslaught of cases is filling pediatric units earlier than normal, prompting concerns about a challenging flu and respiratory disease season, the Virginia Mercury's Sarah Vogelsong reports.

Virginians aren't rushing to get the new Omicron variant boosters — a trend that's worrying public health experts as the winter months approach.

What's happening: So far, 437,000 people in Virginia have gotten the new booster, which is about 7.5% of the eligible population, per Virginia Department of Health statistics.

An advisory panel voted to add COVID-19 vaccines to the CDC's schedule of childhood immunizations, but that doesn't mean the shot will be required in Virginia or anywhere else.

Why it matters: Misinformation surrounding the decision spread widely last week, including in a tweet by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who vowed to fight the non-existent mandate.

Virginia spent millions in COVID-19 relief money to boost spending on police, jails and prisons — money that was initially touted as a lifeline for people struggling to afford housing, food and health care.

Catch up quick: President Joe Biden gave U.S. cities and counties $350 billion to recover from the pandemic through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Few limitations were put on how local governments could spend ARPA funds.

Nearly 8 in 10 Virginia kids have already been infected with COVID-19, new CDC data shows.

Driving the news: The CDC released the results of its latest findings on the seroprevalence of antibodies in children last week.