DANVILLE, Va. — As the number of COVID cases and coronavirus-related deaths continues to rise on the Southside, Danville’s mayor and members of city council are urging residents to get vaccinated.

“I don’t understand why it is such a battle for people wanting to take care of themselves,” Jones said at Tuesday night’s meeting of the City Council. “Here we have something (a vaccine) that can help us, but because of the politics we are willing to risk not only our lives but the lives of the kids.”

His comments followed comments from Vice Mayor Dr. Gary Miller and Councilman Lee Vogler.

Miller, a Danville cardiologist,  said the Delta variant is affecting children now.

Vogler lamented COVID has been politicized. “There are folks who are big supporters of our current president, and there are folks who are big supporters of our previous president,” Vogler said. “There’s probably not a lot of things that Joe Biden and Donald Trump have in common, but there’s one thing they do have in common, they both got the vaccine. I think everyone should get it.”