COVID-19 Cases Drop 36% In Virginia As Omicron Wave Slows

VIRGINIA — COVID-19 cases in Virginia dropped by 36 percent over the past 10 days, as the spread of the extremely contagious omicron variant continues to slow down, according to Virginia Department of Health data.

The 7-day moving average of COVID-19 cases dipped to 12,020 cases on Monday after peaking at 18,942 cases on Jan. 13 when transmission of the omicron variant was still strong.

Hospitalizations of people with COVID-19 also are declining in Virginia. The 7-day moving average of hospitalizations was at 3,804 on Monday, compared to a moving average of 3,875 hospitalizations — a pandemic record — on Jan. 19.

Even with the positive trend, doctors and nurses at Virginia’s hospitals remain under great stress due to the record number of hospitalizations over the past couple weeks.

Like most of the state, jurisdictions in Northern Virginia are reporting steep declines in COVID-19 case numbers. Fairfax County reported 545 new cases on Monday, down from a one-day pandemic record of 3,463 cases on Jan. 8.

The 7-day moving average in Fairfax County has dropped by 54 percent over the past 10 days. The average case count in the county now stands at 1,150 cases after reaching a peak of 2,520 cases on Jan. 13, according to VDH data.

“Confirmed case growth is slowing or declining in some states and in some regions of Virginia,” researchers at the University of Virginia Biocomplexity Institute said in their latest COVID-19 update released Friday. "This fits the pattern of rapid rise and decline seen in South Africa and other countries hit early by the Omicron variant."

But the UVA researchers said “it is important to remember that case levels will remain high for several weeks afterwards.”

“Even if the Omicron surge declines as quickly as it rose, half of Omicron cases will occur after the peak,” the researchers said. “Omicron does not appear everywhere at once, and rural areas of Virginia are likely to experience surges later than urban areas.”

Last Thursday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin released a COVID Action Plan that calls for issuing clear testing guidelines to prioritize the use of COVID-19 rapid tests and using state resources to encourage Virginians to get the vaccine.

On the same day, the governor declared a limited state of emergency to provide hospitals, nursing facilities and other health care providers with greater flexibility and more resources to fight the spike in hospitalizations caused by the omicron variant.

As for when the COVID-19 vaccine will be available for the last remaining age group — children under 5 — parents will likely have to wait a few more months.

The vaccine may be available for children 2 to 4 in May and children 6 to 24 months may have to wait until late summer or fall, Dr. Robert Frenck, director of the Vaccine Research Center at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, told USA Today.

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