CHARLOTTESVILLE and ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- Charlottesville resident Rob Grainger isn't a public health official, but as a biology researcher at the University of Virginia, he can read scientific data, and he's alarmed by the increase in COVID-19 cases in Charlottesville and Albemarle.

"One of the reasons I find this particularly of concern is that this is, in contrast, if you look at the Virginia Department of Health website for the entire state, where you see that there is a drop in cases per day,” Grainger said.

According to VDH data, statewide cases are trending down but both Albemarle County and Charlottesville are on the upswing.

In the past week, there have been an average of about eight new cases per day in Albemarle County and six new cases per day in Charlottesville. That’s about twice what those numbers were a month ago.

In the Thomas Jefferson Health District overall, which also includes Fluvanna, Green, Louisa and Nelson counties, 7.2 percent of COVID-19 tests have come back positive over the most recent seven-day period measured.

TJHD Senior Policy Analyst Ryan McKay says those numbers have caught the health department's attention, but he says it's not the time for extreme alarm or fresh action yet.

"We’ve had relatively low numbers compared to the state beginning in March,” he said. “I think maybe the concern would be as we enter Phase 3, the adherence to those guidelines has slipped whether that's face coverings, social gatherings, physical distancing."

He says if the percent of positive tests creeps closer to 10 percent, it could mean a return to the tighter restrictions of Phase two or one, but he says citizens can help prevent that from happening as the state enters phase 3 on July 1 by wearing masks, washing hands frequently and staying physically distant from others.

“The action of the individual really plays a big part of the overall testing and positivity numbers that we're seeing go up,” McKay said.